Happy summer transfer window deadline day Gooners! Arsenal have made a lot of moves this summer, but as of now, they haven’t looked to be right ones. As you obviously know, Arsenal sit dead last in the Premier League table this international break.
Are they going to make some roster improvements in the 11th hour? Let’s take a look at what could or could not happen before the window shuts.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles went on social media and expressed his desire to leave. The Arsenal academy product said: “All i want to do is go where I’m wanted and where I’m going to play.”
This comes amid reports that Everton are interested in acquiring him, but Arsenal turned their bid down. David Ornstein, known as the Oracle of Arsenal, says that Maitland-Niles has expressed his wishes to play full back, but manager Mikel Arteta hasn’t slotted him in at that position thus far this season.
So things could get ugly, as they often do when you’re not winning.
But even Maitland-Niles isn’t moved today, he might still yet get liberation down the line.
If Arteta doesn’t immediately right the ship, his days will be numbered, and the new boss might take a different approach with Ainsley.
Elsewhere Eddie Nketiah had been linked with a move away from the Emirates this summer, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen now. Crystal Palace were said to be leading the chase, but the talks have now reportedly stalled out.
According to The Hard Tackle, the south London side “put a three-year offer on the table for Nketiah and were in negotiations with Arsenal regarding the transfer.
“A major point of contention was the Gunners’ asking price of £20 million.”
It’s possible another club could swoop in at the last minute, but it remains to be seen who exactly that could be.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
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