According to The Mirror, Premier League sides Watford and Southampton are both readying offers to sign Arsenal ace Ainsley Maitland-Niles this summer.
The versatile Englishman, labelled as an ‘absolutely brilliant‘ player by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, fell out of favour at the Emirates last season. He forced his way out on loan to West Brom to get some regular game time, and he is set to leave Arsenal for good this summer.
Read more: Journalist says ‘fantastic’ £50m star wants to join Arsenal
Maitland-Niles wants to play in central midfield and nowhere else. Mikel Arteta has no interest in using him there, and that doesn’t look like it will change, especially as the Englishman didn’t really set the league on fire at the Hawthorns.
Arsenal are looking to raise funds this summer and Maitland-Niles is set to be among the first ones out. If the report is to be believed, two offers are set to land on Edu’s table as early as next week.
Newly-promoted Watford are keen to bolster their squad ahead of their return to the Premier League and they view Maitland-Niles as an excellent option. The Saints, on the other hand, have been linked with the Arsenal man in the past, and they are set to revive their interest next week.
It will be interesting to see how this pans out. If Maitland-Niles lets his managers decide where his best position is instead of being stubborn, he could have a fine career at the top level.
However, if he refuses to give up his dream of playing in just one position, he will likely end up at a club battling relegation again.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
