This summer, with most fans pre-occupied by the excitement and fear surrounding the comings and goings of established first teamers, it’s easy to forget those players who are trying to create a foothold for themselves at the top level.
Limited action
Many young players in recent years have found it hard to cope with limited first team action after a loan spell and have forced moves to ensure continued regular football, with only David Bentley for a while and Serge Gnabry (who did a last minute contract U-turn) making any impact at the top level. Maitland-Niles however, seems to recognise that patience is key at a club of Arsenal’s size, and as well as a willingness to adapt to the team’s needs.
He is very much a modern midfielder, with the pace and close control that served him well as winger at youth levels, helping him to both recover defensively and break forward from midfield to transition the play. He’s more than capable of beating a player or two to create space, and has a great ability to strike a ball from range.
More recently he has also played at right full back, and the crossing ability he developed earlier in his career is still very much in evidence when he came off the bench in our EFL cup defeat to Southampton, replacing the panic stricken Carl Jenkinson. He’s barely played in that role, and his defensive awareness would certainly need work, but he does have the basic attributes to flourish in that position. Alternating between full-back and centre-midfield did no harm to Michael Thomas back in the 1980s, and there something of a reminiscence between the two – apart from the fact that Mickey T was so laid back as to be almost horizontal.
Probably Maitland-Niles’ most impressive impact for the first-team to date was a part of the double-barrelled triple threat in midfield alongside Oxlade-Chamberlain and Reine-Adelaide in the 5-0 spanking of Southampton at St. Mary’s in the FA Cup back in January (before the season’s wheels totally fell off). On the day, he was stationed at the base of the Arsenal Midfield, making significant contributions defensively and going forwards, winning tackles, covering for Hector Bellerin’s attacking forays and having a hand in the opening goal. Praise on social media was suitably gushing with comparisons to a young Paul Davis, and even Claude Makalele.
While both reference points are a touch optimistic either in style or effectiveness, he did display a willingness to sacrifice showcasing his full skill-set in order to give the team what it needed.
Alongside his progressing club career, Maitland Niles has also been a mainstay for the England age group teams with over 30 appearances for the u18s, u19s and u20s, scoring on his debut at each level, including this cracker:
His efforts for England to date have culminated in him being a regular during England’s surprise u20 World Cup win this summer. Though a tactical change saw him dropped for the final following an impressive performance in the semi against Italy, it was he who was brought on late to maintain England’s winning position, showing he had retained the manager’s trust.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles is not the most eye catching of the young gunners vying to get a break in the first team, and is certainly not as prodigiously talented on the ball as Reiss Nelson, but those only really seeing him for the first time this pre-season have not seen anything like the best of what he has to offer. Because of a vague connection with the guy who scouted him all those years ago, I’ve been following his development more closely than most, and firmly believe his combination of character, focus, athleticism and technique will lead him to have a significant impact on the Arsenal squad over the next two years if he can stay injury free.