Arsenal willing to loan Ainsley Maitland-Niles out, West Ham United offered chance to sign him
West Ham have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles, with the Gunners now willing to do a loan deal according to talkSPORT.
David Moyes has been in the market for a new midfielder this summer after losing Mark Noble and Alex Kral from his squad, and the former England international has emerged as a potential loan target for the Hammers.
Arsenal initially were only open to a permanent deal because the player is in the final 12 months of his deal, but a fresh report claims they could be willing to do a loan now as he isn’t in Mikel Arteta’s plans.
West Ham have now been offered the chance to sign the academy graduate, who turns 25 next week, while Southampton and Bournemouth have also been contacted.
Versatile
Maitland-Niles certainly wouldn’t be the first name on the list of any West Ham fans, but he has plenty of qualities and could be a real help to the squad.
He’s been capped five times for the senior England national team, and has also played European football for both Arsenal and AS Roma to prove he is capable of performing at a high level.
It’s also his versatility that would be incredibly appealing to the manager, having previously played as a full-back and wing-back on both flanks as well as playing in central midfield and as a winger throughout his career.
It’s unlikely that a deal would be too expensive to do in terms of wages considering his deal was signed when he was a teenager back in 2017.
With very little time remaining in the transfer window it could be a deal to keep an eye on as a great option to fill in holes in the squad and give Moyes the quality depth he is looking for.