Ainsley Maitland-Niles is likely to move on from Arsenal this summer, after falling out of contention at the club, according to a report.

The Athletic claim Ainsley Maitland-Niles is ‘likely to move this summer’ after falling out of favour at Arsenal. With Hector Bellerin already ahead of him, Calum Chambers and Sokratis Papastathopoulos as alternative options and Cedric Soares joining, it certainly seems like his chances at right-back are running thin.

Maitland-Niles started the season as a first-team starter, thanks largely to Bellerin’s injury. That lasted until his red card against Aston Villa in mid-September, but Unai Emery dropped him completely in the league after that.

Freddie Ljungberg gave the 22-year-old a bit more of a chance before he became a starter again under Mikel Arteta. But once again, it didn’t last, and he spent the last five Premier League games not even playing a minute of football.

Even in the FA Cup and Europa League, Arteta only gave Maitland-Niles three minutes on the pitch in total.

There were clearly no injury problems, as the player appeared in the squad often enough. Instead, it seems he fell out with the head coach behind the scenes.

That doesn’t necessarily spell the end for him at Arsenal. We’ve already seen players bounce back from disciplinary issues under Arteta. But I certainly wouldn’t doubt The Athletic story that he’s on the way out, either.