View: Big Sam must go all-out for ‘Rolls-Royce’ of a player who can hit ground running at WBA
West Brom are interested in Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles and we think it is a deal they must prioritise with the deadline looming close.
Ahmed Musa and midfielder Okay Yuskuslu have also been linked with moves to The Hawthorns but Maitland-Niles is a proven Premier League player and that’s what we need in the position we’re in.
Southampton also want the Arsenal player, however, so it won’t be easy, especially as we don’t have the finances behind us.
Maitland-Niles offers versatility on top of his pedigree and could slot in at right-back or at the heart of midfield.
His experience playing right wing-back for the Gunners could allow Sam Allardyce to operate with five at the back, as he did in the second half against Manchester City.
Maitland-Niles might have only started five times in the Premier League this season but he is a very highly-rated 23-year-old.
An England call-up last summer and in the Autumn proves that point, while former Arsenal player Martin Keown has been impressed by him, saying, “You rarely get a player with his pace in that role. I would have loved that as a player. He’s a Rolls-Royce of a player at times.”
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is a big fan and previously stated that Maitland-Niles “is the future”, while also sharing his awe of the player’s physical attributes.
A return of one assist and one key pass per game (WhoScored) in the Europa League this term is an example of the threat he possesses.
He is also a composed figure on the ball, as Keown alludes to, achieving a 89% pass accuracy in that competition as well as 47 passes per game according to WyScout.
In that area he has outperformed regulars like Jake Livermore and Romaine Sawyers (WhoScored), and would be an upgrade for Big Sam.
Maitland-Niles is the box-to-box type midfielder we are crying out for. He has made 1.2 dribbles and 3.7 interceptions per 90 minutes of Europa League football.
He is a better alternative to Yokuslu, who cannot match the Gunner in either of those departments.
Also, unlike Yoskuslu he is used to Premier League football, so it would not take him long to get up and running.
West Brom can almost certainly guarantee him first-team football and that’s what could swing the deal in our direction.
We’re very keen for the club to get this one over the line, and with Big Sam intending to use his one domestic loan remaining, we are very hopeful it will be Maitland-Niles.
In other West Brom news, ‘I have to’ – Allardyce delivers big Diagne warning to West Brom fans.