05 August 2023 , 18:33
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Ainsley Maitland-Niles is poised to kickstart his career overseas after agreeing a four-year deal with Ligue 1 outfit Lyon.
The 25-year-old utility man spent close to 20 years at Arsenal after joining the club's academy as a six-year-old. He progressed through the ranks and made over 130 senior appearances for the club but was never really able to nail down a regular spot in the team.
After a disappointing loan spell at Southampton last term, Maitland-Niles and Arsenal parted ways last month upon the expiration of his contract - and the midfielder is set to embark on a new challenge in France after deciding against another Premier League move.
The Beautiful Game Podcast revealed on Saturday that Maitland-Niles had agreed terms on a deal that will see him link up with Lyon as a free agent. The news comes just a couple of months after Maitland-Niles confirmed he would be leaving the Gunners in an emotional social media post.
Maitland-Niles failed to establish himself during Mikel Arteta's reign at the Emirates and even landed himself in hot water with the Spaniard on a couple of occasions. He was frozen out back in 2020 after showing up late to 'several' team meetings, per The Athletic.
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After rebounding from that setback, Maitland-Niles was left frustrated once again just a few months later after a deadline day transfer to Everton failed to materialise in the summer of 2021. The midfielder was desperate to join the Toffees in order to play regular first-team football, only to see the move blocked by Arsenal.
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Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who is Lyon-bound, had his run-ins with Mikel Arteta prior to leaving ArsenalAfter clear-the-air talks with Arteta, Maitland-Niles was then forced to train with the club's youth team after staying put - a move which was branded as "humiliating" by pundit Chris Sutton, who was less than impressed with Arteta's handling of the situation.
"The player’s social media post in which he made clear his desire to leave was unwise," Sutton said back in September 2021. "That was only ever going to anger his employers. But when I read that Maitland-Niles was training with the kids on Tuesday, I thought that was wrong. That doesn’t help anybody. It’s humiliating.
"Arteta’s kept hold of him, apparently after clear-the-air talks. I’m sure Maitland-Niles was assured he’ll get his chance to impress. We’ll see. In a way, Arsenal keeping a player against his will sums up the underwhelming status of the club right now."
Maitland-Niles was eventually given the green light to head out and spent the second half of the 2021/22 season on loan at AS Roma. But he failed to make any sort of impression in Italy under Jose Mourinho and ending up returning to north London.
The Hale End academy graduate will link up with former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette in France if the formalities of his switch are completed in the coming days.
Maitland-Niles' finest moment in an Arsenal shirt came back in 2020 when he excelled as a left-back in the 2-0 win over Chelsea in the FA Cup final.