AFTV News

Is there a way to bring Ainsley Maitland-Niles back into the fold? By Oli Dickson Jefford Very few Arsenal players quite hit the headlines in the same way Ainsley Maitland-Niles did this summer. Once considered one of the brightest prospects at the club, the 24-year-old’s career at Arsenal has stagnated. Struggling to get any first team action, Maitland-Niles spent the second half of the 2020/21 campaign on loan at West Brom. It looked as if he would be spending another season away from the Emirates, with Everton trying to sign him on loan. However, despite the move seemingly all set to go ahead, Arsenal refused to let Maitland-Niles head to Goodison Park - leading to an extraordinary social media post from the midfielder. “All I want to do is go where I’m wanted and where I’m going to play @Arsenal,” he implored on an Instagram story. There was understandably a sense that he had fallen out of favour at the club, but no one would have been expecting such a critical post. Club officials...

Five Arsenal stars who could benefit from a loan move this summer By Oscar Maung-Haley With the transfer window merry-go-round in full swing, we look at the Arsenal players who could benefit from a temporary move away from the Emirates ahead of the new season. Eddie Nketiah At 22 years old, Eddie Nketiah is somehow at risk of becoming yesterday’s man. While 13 goals in 65 appearances for the Gunners is by no means disastrous, Nketiah has hardly hit the ground running since making his debut four years ago. After featuring in all but two of Arsenal’s opening 14 Premier League games last season, he only appeared five times in their remaining league fixtures. There can be no doubt that Nketiah still has potential – he did break Alan Shearer’s England U21s record with 16 goals in 17 appearances. Recently, the Athletic’s David Ornstein reported that Arsenal had offered Nketiah a new contract that would protect his value, which has not been accepted. With his contract set to expire next summe...

Has Ainsley Maitland-Niles done enough at weekend opponents West Brom to earn an Arsenal future? By Peter White Thursday night’s Europa League exit may have all but ended Arsenal’s miserable 2020/21 campaign, but attentions must quickly turn back to domestic duty with a trip to West Brom ahead on Sunday evening.  Tottenham’s defeat at Leeds on Saturday may have offered the Emirates faithful a small crumb of comfort, but three points for Marcelo Bielsa’s Yorkshiremen saw them leapfrog the Gunners, who now sit tenth and seven points off an unlikely top-six finish.  A place in next season’s European competition should ultimately prove too tough an ask with just four games of the season left, but with a game in hand over Spurs, Mikel Arteta’s men need to keep fighting to the death.  The Baggies - ten points adrift of safety - may be destined for an immediate return to the Championship, but boss Sam Allardyce likes nothing more than getting one over the biggest names in the bu...

Forget Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah - is Miguel Azeez the next young cab off the Arsenal rank? By Will Jennings Whisper it quietly – but the next big thing off the booming Emirates production line may be just around the corner. Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah and among the latest academy graduates to storm onto the first-team scene in North London. And Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are the other recent cabs off the rank as Arsenal’s youngsters continue to make a splash. Mikel Arteta’s laudable promotion of youth has been an unequivocal hallmark of his tenure and now, after one Saturday afternoon at Ewood Park, there’s another Arsenal starlet who’s got Gunners fans talking. Step forward Miguel Azeez. Azeez, 18, sparkled in Lancashire as he powered Arsenal’s Under-18s to an emphatic 4-1 victory against Blackburn and into the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup. Khayon Edwards, Kido Taylor-Hart, Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Azeez all scored...

Are Arsenal's loan stars impressing at their new clubs? By Adam Le Roux The month of January saw plenty of comings and goings at the Emirates, with Mikel Arteta shuffling his deck to further lay down his blueprint for the Gunners team of the future.  As well as the arrivals of Martin Odegaard and Mat Ryan to bolster the ranks, we saw a number of players leave the club temporarily during the first month of the year.  Whether that be to gain further first-team experience or because they are simply unwanted by the club at this moment in time, there were a number of players that were taken off the payroll until the end of the season, as the Arsenal squad was given a freshen up ahead of the final stretch of the season.  So what have they been up to during their time away from the club? Let’s take a closer look at four of the players performing elsewhere for the time being.  Ainsley Maitland-Niles Maitland-Niles was wanted by a whole host of clubs when he was made availabl...

FA Cup finals and 3-2 thrillers: Five great matches between Arsenal and Aston Villa in the Premier League By Adam Le Roux Arsenal travel to Villa Park this Saturday looking to respond from the horror show against Wolves on Tuesday night, slumping to a 2-1 defeat and finishing the game with just nine men on the pitch. You don’t have to go too far back for the last time the Gunners went head to head with Villa, as Dean Smith’s side rampaged their way to a 3-0 win at the Emirates thanks to Bukayo Saka’s own goal and Ollie Watkins’ double. In what has been a largely forgettable season for Arsenal to date, that humbling at home from the Villans was one of the lowest ebbs, as Jack Grealish and Ross Barkley had the Arsenal defence on tenterhooks throughout. But it hasn’t been all doom and gloom for the Gunners against Villa in the past, with many a fine victory coming against the boys in claret and blue in recent history, so let’s take a trip down memory lane to reminisce on five of the all-t...

What next for Ainsley Maitland-Niles at Arsenal? By Peter White It’s the beginning of February, which means it’s full steam ahead going into the second half of the season now another winter transfer window is done and dusted.   While Arsenal welcomed Martin Odegaard and Mat Ryan into their first team ranks, much of their largely commended work centred around the departure of those surplus to requirements.   The end of Mesut Ozil’s Arsenal career perhaps garnered the most media attention, but the temporary release of one of the team’s best-loved academy products poses a number of questions going forward.   Still only 23, Ainsley Maitland-Niles made his Gunners bow in a Champions League win at Galatasaray way back in December 2014, and has so far accumulated 121 appearances in the famous red jersey.   But, with this summer’s European Championships on the horizon, the versatile England international opted to join Sam Allardyce’s West Bromwich Albion ...

From standing by Xhaka, to playing Aubameyang down the left, to Signing Mari & Cedric. We take a look at Mikel Arteta's biggest decisions and adjudge whether this is all 'Process or Poppycock'. By James Bayliss For many years, Arsenal fans endured managers who didn’t quite seem willing to make the big decisions most felt were needed at the club. Mikel Arteta though, does look like someone who’s trying to push a real culture change - but is he the man to do it? Arsene Wenger, for all his amazing attributes, didn’t seem the type to put his foot down, yet still often displayed an infuriating stubbornness at times with his on-field approach. Unai Emery was at first a breath of fresh air, switching formations and tactics with every passing game, though eventually his constant chopping and changing began to portray him as a clueless and desperate coach once results declined. But can we trust Mikel to lead a resurgence at the club with Chief Executive Vinai Venkatesham &...

Time to drop Auba? What to expect from Arsenal v Southampton When it was announced yesterday that London was heading into Tier 3, perhaps the only people to greet the news with any joy were the 2,000 fans who had tickets for Arsenal’s clash with Southampton on Wednesday night. Enhanced restrictions mean it's back behind closed doors from this week, denying Arsenal fans the chance to see their side try and avoid writing their names into the history books for all the wrong reasons. Defeat on Wednesday would mark the first time Arsenal have ever lost five successive home games and pile further pressure on a beleaguered Mikel Arteta. Can the Gunners stop the rot? Here's what to expect from a tricky encounter… Mikel’s midfield dilemma It remains to be seen whether Granit Xhaka's suspension turns out to be a blessing or a curse but either way, his absence gives Mikel Arteta a decision to make in midfield. Give the young guns a chance and offer Joe Willock or Ainsley Maitland-Nile...

      “It was really nice when the fans were behind us" - All the best reaction after Arsenal's 4-1 victory over Rapid Vienna in the Europa League on Thursday night. by Adam Le Roux How great was it to see fans back in the Emirates last night? And what a performance they were treated to, as Arsenal swept aside Rapid Vienna 4-1 to maintain their 100% record in this season’s Europa League. Alexandre Lacazette staked his claim for a starting berth in Sunday’s North London Derby with a sumptuous long-range effort just ten minutes in, as the 2000 supporters in attendance were treated to one of the goals of the season so far.  And a good night just kept getting better for the Gunners, as long-term absentee Pablo Mari found the net on his return to the team after six months out, as the centre back nodded in a corner to double the advantage. Eddie Nketiah rounded off a sublime passing move to make it three just before half-time, with six separate Arsenal players all involved...