Arsenal have seen Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe emerge into being first-team stars, but not every homegrown talent can have the same impact.
The Gunners decided to loan a couple of fringe homegrown players in January, with Joe Willock heading to Newcastle United whilst Ainsley Maitland-Niles headed to West Bromwich Albion.
Maitland-Niles was a strange situation; Mikel Arteta seemed to fancy him towards the end of last season, and his form saw him attract interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers – but Arsenal wouldn’t sell.
The 23-year-old then struggled to make much of an impact, starting just five Premier League games despite Arteta claiming he had made ‘big, big progress’.
Maitland-Niles decided to head to West Brom on loan in January, and has been playing in central midfield for Sam Allardyce’s side – the position he has wanted to play for some time, rather than a right back.
The Telegraph now claim that Maitland-Niles accepts that he needs to leave Arsenal this summer, and understands that he may have to play as a right back if he is to play for a top Premier League side.
Wolves, Leicester City and Southampton are thought to be keen, and a move to Manchester United isn’t even ruled out as they seek depth and competition for places.
Arsenal fans have been taking to Twitter to react to these rumours, with some feeling that the Gunners are making a mistake in letting Maitland-Niles go, believing he will become a star elsewhere.
Some have criticised Arteta for his ‘terrible’ decision on Maitland-Niles, and can’t believe that he has been behind Hector Bellerin in Arsenal’s pecking order.
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