Maitland-Niles set to leave Arsenal on a free after 20 years

TRANSFERS Maitland-Niles set to leave Arsenal on a free after 20 years

Mark Kinyanjui 19:00 - 24.04.2023

The England international is currently on loan at Southampton. The club did have the option to buy him at the end of this season but with the Gunners deciding to let him leave, the clause is void.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles will leave Arsenal as a free agent this summer after the club decided against triggering his one-year contract extension clause, as reported by David Ornstein.

The 25-year old, who joined Arsenal’s academy at the age of six says he has not spoken to anyone at the club since last pre-season, but the decision was mutually agreed upon months ago.

The England international is currently on loan at Southampton. The club did have the option to buy him at the end of this season but with the Gunners deciding to let him leave, the clause is void.

Since breaking into the Arsenal first team when he made his debut as a substitute in the 4-1 win over Galatasaray under Arsene Wenger in 2014, he has gone on to make over 100 appearances for the club, winning two FA cups in the process.

He was particularly instrumental in the build-up to the second win in 2020, providing stellar performances at left wing-back as the club emerged victorious against Manchester City in the semis and Chelsea in the final.

The club would then participate in the FA Community Shield three weeks later, where the Hale-End graduate produced a man-of-the-match display that earned him a call-up to the England squad.

A desire to play in midfield ultimately proved to be his undoing as he fell out of favor under Mikel Arteta, where he was loaned out to West Brom for the second half of the 2020-21 season.

He returned to Arsenal the following season before being loaned to Roma for the second half of last season. He struggled to create an impact, before being loaned to Southampton for this season.