Amid all the positivity surrounding Arsenal’s best start to a season since 2004, there is a problem brewing for Mikel Arteta. A dark cloud drifting ominously into an otherwise bright blue picture.
Arteta opted to replace the injured Thomas Partey with Mohamed Elneny for Saturday’s hard-fought 2-1 win over Fulham. Now, he must find a way to replace the replacement. Elneny, per Goal, could be out of action for an ‘extended’ period after suffering an untimely hamstring injury. Suddenly, Arsenal’s midfield shelf looks somewhat bare.
But it’s telling that, rather than put his faith in Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Arteta appears to prefer an outside hire to an internal solution. According to Gianluca di Marzio, The Gunners enquired about PSG’s Leandro Paredes after seeing Elneny join Partey in the treatment table.
Newcastle United in talks to sign Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Their pursuit of the stylish Argentina international was short-lived. Paredes, as confirmed by Paris Saint-Germain coach Christopher Galtier, is joining Juventus instead in a deal worth around £13 million.
But if Maitland-Niles was wondering if Elneny’s misfortune could open a window of opportunity for himself, then Arsenal’s decision to make a move for Paredes will only extinguish those lingering hopes.
Maitland-Niles has been left out of Arteta’s squad for every one of Arsenal’s four Premier League games this term. The versatility that once made him such a useful member of the squad seemingly counts for little these days. Arteta has preffered Ben White at right-back in Takehiro Tomiyasu’s absence too.
The gravity of the situation facing Maitland-Niles, then, should become clear – if it hasn’t already – with the transfer window closing in two days’ time. Stay at Arsenal, and he can kiss goodbye to his hopes of regular first-team football this season. Stay at Arsenal, and those already slim World Cup prospects will be over for good.
Fortunately, offers to leave are unlikely to be in short supply. According to the Daily Mail and Fabrizio Romano, West Ham United and Southampton are keen. Newcastle have entered talks too, via 90Min. And while Maitland-Niles has been picky in the past – reluctant to join clubs who plan to field him as a full-back rather than a central midfielder – the phrase ‘beggars can’t be choosers’ comes to mind. Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, an ambitious, forward-thinking club these days, may be the perfect destination for a man looking to make up for lost time.
Better to play somewhere, than to not play at all.
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