Arsenal have held an emergency meeting with Ainsley Maitland-Niles as he looks to leave the club – but they have told him he must stay.
That’s according to The Daily Mail, who claim that boss Mikel Artet has ‘ignored’ Maitland-Niles’ attempts to leave the Emirates Stadium.
Everton want to sign Maitland-Niles before tonight’s transfer deadline, with Arsenal refusing to let him go.
Maitland-Niles wasn’t happy about that yesterday, taking to Instagram to post that he just wanted to go where he was valued and would play regular first-team football.
Arsenal subsequently organised an emergency face-to-face meeting with their disgruntled player to thrash out his future.
Maitland-Niles was under the impression that he would be allowed to go, but both Mikel Arteta and Edu told him that he is no longer available to leave.
Maitland-Niles is understandably concerned that his career is stalling whilst sitting in the shadows at Arsenal, and a move to Everton would give him a new chance.
The 24-year-old even told Arteta at the start of the season that he would focus on playing at right back to help Arsenal, rather than hold out for playing in midfield. Remarkably, Arteta has used three other players at right back ahead of Maitland-Niles this season, including left back Nuno Tavares.
It’s unclear just why Edu and Arteta won’t let him go. On Sunday night, Maitland-Niles thought he had the green light to go, but the under-fire Arsenal decision makers decided on a shock U-turn.
Arteta is thought to have been disappointed with Maitland-Niles taking to Instagram to publicly air his grievances, but the homegrown talent is ‘unclear’ on just why he is being kept in North London.
There is still time for Arsenal to pull off another U-turn, but it looks like Edu and Arteta are now sticking to a very unpopular decision.
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