da jogodeouro： Despite his good showing against both the likes of Manchester City and even against Chelsea in the FA Cup victory, a new report from The Sun claims Arsenal have put Ainsley Maitland-Niles on the transfer list. And if that wasn’t shocking enough, they go on to state the 22-year-old could indeed stay in London and move to Tottenham Hotspur instead as Jose Mourinho’s men have shown some interest in the youngster.
da dobrowin： Needless to say, this is quite the claim from the papers but the Gunners are in dire need of raising some funds and that could well include selling their talent to the highest bidder. In fact, The Sun state they are hoping to get around £30m for the England U21 star but may also have to settle for £20m due to the outside circumstances and the financial struggles of most teams out there.
And since Mourinho is planning a rebuild of his own in the ongoing summer transfer window, Maitland-Niles could be a welcoming addition to the team. Of course, Spurs are not nearly the only ones registering their interest as the same outlet mentions ‘every Premier League club in London except Chelsea’ might go in for the 22-year-old.
Mikel Arteta, on the other hand, likes him a lot and if Arsenal were not in this financial hole, in all likelihood he would’ve liked to keep him. But this sale is more of a necessity than anything else. At least if the Gunners want to go shopping themselves.
Verdict
Buying a player from your city rivals is always a slightly controversial thing, especially when you’re trying to snatch away their talented academy product. But Mourinho’s interest in Maitland-Niles is not that surprising.
The 22-year-old is quite versatile and despite not getting a big chance throughout 2019/20, he can still perform on a high level across multiple positions both in midfield and in the backline. This kind of adaptability and potential is something Spurs could definitely use in their squad.