According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Arsenal defender Ainsley Maitland-Niles wants to leave the club this summer as he feels that manager Mikel Arteta doesn’t trust him.
The 22-year-old is primarily a central midfielder but has been deployed at right-back for the majority of his career since breaking into the Gunners senior team.
Maitland-Niles has struggled for regular playing minutes of recent despite being a key player when Arteta became boss last December.
The Arsenal academy graduate featured in every minute of the Spaniard’s first six Premier League games upon becoming manager, but has featured in only four of the subsequent 12, playing just a total of 70 minutes.
As reported back in March, disciplinary issues and the Maitland-Niles’ preference to play in midfield contributed to his lack of playing minutes of recent, and some people at Arsenal feel that he could be done for at the North London club as a result.
The Hale End graduate is attracting interests from clubs in England and Germany, and a summer exit looks almost certain from the look of things.
Arsenal could be willing to cash in on him as they look to secure much-needed finances ahead of the summer transfer window, and Arteta won’t be left heartbroken with Maitland-Niles’ exit.
