Second January loan for Maitland-Niles
Versatile Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles has completed a second January loan in as many seasons as the Hale End Academy product goes from one capital to another with a move to Serie A outfit AS Roma.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles has completed his loan move to Roma until the end of the season. pic.twitter.com/v9dtKJsksC
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) January 8, 2022
As confirmed by the club’s official website, the 24-year-old London native joins José Mourinho’s I Giallorossi as the English contingent continues to expand in the eternal city.
Maitland-Niles follows in the footsteps of former Premier League duo Tammy Abraham and Chris Smalling, with the pair of England internationals becoming important pieces in the jigsaw puzzle at the Stadio Olimpico.
The loan move does not include an option to buy, however, which continues to throw uncertainty around the future of AMN at Arsenal past the current season.
Expected to slot in at right-back under Mourinho after Dutch international and former Feyenoord Rotterdam standout Rick Karsdorp is to serve a one-match suspension and subsequently missing the key home clash against Juventus, Maitland-Niles still has one year left on his deal at Arsenal with the club seeming reluctant to part ways on a full deal unless their valuation of the player is satisfied.
Tuanzebe relocated to SSC Napoli
Ainsley Maitland-Niles is not the only Englishman to secure a loan move to Italy this month, with Manchester United defender Azel Tuanzebe jet-setting in the same direction after completing his temporary move south of the capital to SSC Napoli.
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 05: Jonny Evans of Leicester City challenges for a header with Ezri Konsa and Axel Tuanzebe of Aston Villa during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Leicester City at Villa Park on December 5, 2021 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
This comes in the wake of Tuanzebe’s failure to secure regular minutes at Aston Villa this season despite previously stating back in late October how at home he felt at Villa Park after enjoying a previous spell in the second half of the 2017-18 season as well as the entirety of the 2018-19 campaign.
Villa manager Steven Gerrard also spoke out regarding his feelings on the player recently and was keen to keep him at the club for the remainder of the season given his lack of options at center-back, which are now down to just Tyrone Mings, Ezra Konsa, and Kortney Hause.
The loan move certainly throws a spanner in the works for Gerrard as he will now surely have to move for a center-back this month to re-establish some semblance of depth in the heart of the back line as the club look to secure their Premier League future for next season.
