West Bromwich Albion picked up a couple of impressive new signings on Monday, bolstering Sam Allardyce’s squad.
The Baggies brought in Turkish midfielder Okay Yokuslu from Celta Vigo, and pushed through a deal for Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
West Brom have taken Maitland-Niles on loan from Arsenal until the end of the season, seemingly with no scope for a permanent move.
The 23-year-old needs first-team football; he has only managed five league starts under Mikel Arteta this season, and that’s just not enough.
Capable of playing in either full back role or in midfield, Maitland-Niles will now hope to show what he can do before heading back to Arsenal.
The move means Maitland-Niles is finally heading to the West Midlands, having snubbed a move to rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers over the summer.
Maitland-Niles wasn’t keen on a move to Wolves but wanted first-team football, then decided to fight for his place with Arsenal despite Wolves returning with a new move.
Just a matter of months on, Maitland-Niles is now playing for Wolves’ bitter rivals, and fans don’t seem too impressed.
Supporters were urging Wolves to hijack the deal, believing that Maitland-Niles’ versatility is exactly what Nuno needs right now.
Others believe Wolves have hit a ‘new low’ as West Brom have shown more ambition, branding the club’s failure to move for Maitland-Niles as a ‘joke’.
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