Arsenal player wanted to join Newcastle United before deadline – but wasn’t allowed

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Ainsley Maitland-Niles wanted to join Newcastle United but Arsenal blocked a move, meaning he had to join Southampton instead.

The Magpies were fairly quiet on deadline day with their big business done a week earlier having snapped up Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad.

Some wondered whether Newcastle could be tempted into the market in other areas.

Emil Krafth’s injury heightened the need for another right back whilst a blow to Bruno Guimaraes hampers the quality in Newcastle’s engine room.

Newcastle did show an interest in one player who could fill both positions – but a late move before the deadline was effectively blocked.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles wanted to join Newcastle

Before the deadline, TalkSPORT reporter Alex Crook claimed that Newcastle were showing a real interest in signing Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Capable of playing at right back or in midfield, Maitland-Niles certainly would have given Newcastle cover in both positions.

Arsenal clearly had no plans for Maitland-Niles to be in their first-team picture but a move to Newcastle failed to materialise.

Instead, Maitland-Niles headed off to sign for Southampton on loan with the possibility of a permanent move in 2023.

So what exactly happened with Newcastle’s interest?

The Telegraph claim that Maitland-Niles was ultimately keen on signing for Newcastle given his lack of first-team action at Arsenal.

However, the Gunners refused to allow Maitland-Niles to join Arsenal as they didn’t want to strengthen a potential rival in Newcastle.

It sounds like Arsenal and Chelsea both decided they didn’t want to help Newcastle’s push to challenge the Premier League’s elite.

Newcastle will find this kind of resistance as they push towards the top, and Arsenal’s stance meant Maitland-Niles instead moved on to Southampton.

That will frustrate Eddie Howe, but Newcastle will hope to move to a point where Arsenal’s best players want the move to Tyneside – just as Manchester City’s did in the early 2010’s.