Arsenal’s January signings make useful additions to the squad, but there are still other areas that need addressing in the summer.
4Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Conservative
This is an easy one.
Maitland-Niles hasn’t played for the u23s since September, and Wenger has pretty much already promoted him full-time to the senior squad.
Rather than filling the left-back position though, I’d like to see the 20-year-old in midfield.
Maitland-Niles defends well, makes good recovery runs, and he’s good on the ball. The Englishman can also dribble past opponents impressively.
He doesn’t have the biggest physical presence, but N’Golo Kante shows us that’s not always necessary for the role.
It’s not as if the u21 international hasn’t played there before. He got 90 minutes as a defensive midfielder in Arsenal’s 5-0 FA Cup win over Southampton last season.
Hopefully he gets another chance soon.