by Lewis Ambrose

It looks like a loan move for Ainsley Maitland-Niles is getting closer, after Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy revealed he would be speaking to the player on Tuesday.

The 17 year-old midfielder has been linked with a loan move to the Championship club for some time now, and it appears to be close.

“I’m going to speak to him today and everything is fine, hopefully he will join us today,” McCarthy told Sudbury Mercury, who are reporting that Maitland-Niles is set to sign.

The highly-rated teenager is used to playing on the wing, but Arsenal bosses have been trying to adapt his game by playing him in the middle of midfield. Maitland-Niles made 20 appearances in the u21 Premier League last season as well as 6 UEFA Youth League appearances, and almost all were in central-midfield.

His only notable first-team appearance also came in that position when the teenager featured in the Champions League, playing 45 minutes against Galatasaray in Arsenal’s final group game.

Controversy

The midfielder is possibly best known for controversy surrounding his mother last season.

The player’s parent allegedly appeared to hit Dick Law and threatened to drag Maitland-Niles off the pitch during an u21 game. Police were called and she was banned from London Colney.

Hopefully Maitland-Niles can mix his talent with a bit of his mother’s fighting spirit and have a successful loan period if he does indeed join Ipswich.