Arsenal ace Ainsley Maitland-Niles is reportedly close to agreeing a loan transfer to Roma after a lack of playing time at the Emirates Stadium.
The 24-year-old could do with playing more first-team football, and it seems he’s prepared to try his luck with a switch to Serie A, according to the Daily Mirror.
This could be a risky move for Maitland-Niles, who would be playing under the controversial Jose Mourinho at Roma – someone with very different methods to Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.
Mourinho has done decent work since bringing Tammy Abraham to Roma from Chelsea in the summer, so he could perhaps also have a role to play in Maitland-Niles’ development.
Still, there are probably better managers out there for the England international to be learning from, and there may well be opportunities in the Premier League where he could get more minutes under his belt.
It will be interesting to see how this pans out, but Arsenal fans will surely be disappointed that this player’s future is once again in doubt.
Maitland-Niles has long looked like a promising young talent, but Arteta hasn’t made him a key member of his squad for some reason.
AFC are already a little short of options in midfield, so it’s surprising that they’re willing to loan out yet another player, with Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi also both out on temporary moves this season.