Former Gunner joins Everton in deadline-day move

Everton completed the signing of former Arsenal player Ainsley Maitland-Niles on deadline day, with the 29-year-old signing a three-year contract.

Everton failed to complete the signing of former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun on transfer deadline day, but they did manage to get one former Gunner through the door in Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

The Toffees announced the signing of Maitland-Niles from Lyon on a permanent deal on Monday night, confirming that the right-back has signed a three-year contract to 2029.

Though Everton themselves didn’t report the transfer fee, GFFN claim it was a €3.5m (£3m) deal.

Part of the reason for the low transfer fee would have been that Maitland-Niles only had months remaining on his Lyon contract, with his deal set to expire in June 2027.

Lyon’s failure to qualify for the Champions League had also made things difficult for them financially, perhaps leading to a greater willingness to accept lower bids to free up the wage bill.

From the other side of things, players like Maitland-Niles no longer had the Champions League incentive to stick around. A return to Premier League football probably looked a lot more inviting in that context.

Maitland-Niles had done a lot to help Lyon attempt to qualify for the Champions League, starting in all four of their play-off games last month.

The former Gunner scored to give Lyon a second-leg aggregate lead in their eventual win over Sparta Prague, and he provided an assist to get his team back in the tie against Fenerbahce.

But Fenerbahce held onto their one-goal advantage to secure victory after Maitland-Niles’ substitution, which shortly followed his assist.

Overall, Maitland-Niles made 119 appearances for Lyon, almost as many as the 132 he managed at Arsenal. His move to Everton may now give him his first chance to play against the Gunners in a competitive fixture.

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