Ainsley Maitland-Niles has commented on his departure from Arsenal after forcing through a loan move away from the Gunners.
The Englishman left Arsenal on loan to AS Roma in 2022 after Mikel Arteta tried to convince him to stay.
Having made his debut for England in 2020, the midfielder wanted to play more for his country, but that could only happen if he appeared often for his club.
Arsenal wasn’t offering him enough playing time, and although Arteta urged him to be patient, assuring him that he was part of his plans, Maitland-Niles decided to push for a move.
However, his move to Roma was unsuccessful as the Italians refused to sign him permanently.
He then joined Southampton on loan before his contract expired, and he now plays for Lyon in France.
Speaking about his departure from Arsenal, the Englishman said to The Athletic:
“After my last cap for England (against Iceland in November 2020), I came back to Arsenal and didn’t make the starting XI, then it just went downhill.
“It’s hard to get picked for England when you don’t have consistent football, unless you’re one of the regulars like Harry Maguire.
“It’s frustrating. Everyone wants to play football and everyone wants to play for their country. It was the lack of football that was stopping me. I went on a few loans after that to try to pick up momentum but it didn’t go to plan. It was always my interest to be playing football and not sit on the bench waiting for my turn.
“That’s what builds character. It’s difficult. No one wants to go through that but unfortunately, I did and a lot of players went through it with me. It just helped me put perspective into my life.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Maitland-Niles bet on himself to get game time if he leaves Arsenal, and we hope he is proud of the decision now.
If he had stayed at Arsenal, he probably would have earned more game time.
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Why would he not be proud of taking his future into his own hands?
MA, it seems, promised him more playing time, but it didn’t happen.
Good luck to him, one of our own Hales End Gooner.
Seems to be doing well at Lyon. 21 matches scoring once and assisting 4 times.
Looking at how the squad has developed he made the right decision