What are they smoking over there at the Emirates?
Arsenal have blocked Ainsley Maitland-Niles from training with the club’s first team, a day after the wing-back took to social media to express his desire to leave the club.
On Monday, the 24-year-old, who spent last season on loan at West Bromwich Albion, posted to his Instagram Story, saying: “All I wanna do is go where I’m wanted and where I’m gonna play.” He also tagged the club in the post.
After his move to Everton was blocked, Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been told he won’t be training with the Arsenal first team. More @MirrorFootball
— John Cross (@johncrossmirror) August 31, 2021
According to John Cross of the Mirror, Arsenal have now told the player that not only will he be staying at the club, but that he also will not be training with the first team.
The move represents the latest bizarre decision made by what increasingly appears to be a club without a plan, making random decisions without consideration for their consequences.
With reports linking Ainsley Maitland-Niles with Everton, this is what he has just posted on his Instagram story… pic.twitter.com/IiQy8gbpfZ
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) August 30, 2021
Maitland-Niles is said to be keen for a move to Everton, or as he says, somewhere he’s “gonna play”, after seeing the likes of Callum Chambers (not a full-back) and Cedric Soares playing at right-back in the club’s opening games of the season.
The unnecessary drama surrounding the player only adds to what has been a truly disastrous start to the season for Arsenal. The club have lost their opening three games of the league season, most recently a 5-0 humiliation at the hands of Manchester City, and currently sit bottom of the league with a -9 goal difference.
Arsenal finished eighth in the Premier League last season, and have spent more than £130 million on transfers this summer. Despite this, their squad does not appear to have obviously improved, and fans have been left wondering exactly what Mikel Arteta’s talents are, beyond alienating first team players.
