Everton had been eager to try and bring in Ainsley Maitland-Niles for Arsenal before the transfer deadline but fresh reports from Simon Stone claim that the Gunners aren’t keen to let the player leave – meaning he may end up staying at the Emirates Stadium.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles May Not Make Everton Switch
Everton Eager to Sign Ainsley Maitland-Niles in Search for New Faces
The 24-year old has never really been a first-team regular with Arsenal, despite playing 65 games over the course of seven seasons at the club. This year he has played once and even that was only a 20 minute appearance for the Englishman.
Last campaign, he spent some time at West Bromwich Albion, where he managed to get slightly more first-team action. Managing 15 games, he then returned to his parent club and played in a further 11 fixtures for the Gunners.
Everton, though, have liked what they’ve seen of the winger/defender and were believed to be keen to try and do business with Arsenal to bring him to the club before the transfer deadline.
Gunners Unwilling to Sell the 24-Year Old
However, the Gunners are believed to be unwilling to let go of the player and want to try and keep him at the Emirates Stadium. That means that if the Toffees do decide to try and tempt the club with a bid for Maitland-Niles, it looks likely that any approach would be rejected by the side.
Everton’s new boss, Rafa Benitez, has been quick to try and bring in his own type of players this summer to be able to implement his own style of play. He’s got off to a decent start as manager at the club and is seemingly still on the lookout for similar players to improve his squad.
However, it now looks as if he may have to look elsewhere for further recruits, with Arsenal happy to keep the 24-year old and potentially give him a chance in their own first-team this season.
The only stumbling block for Arsenal in their desperation to keep hold of Maitland-Niles is that the player himself is reportedly fancying a move to Goodison Park and the chance for more regular action. It might mean that the Gunners have to change position on their willingness to transfer the player over the course of the next two days.
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