Fulham are looking to bolster their squad by raiding a Premier League giant…
What’s the word?
According to Ryan Taylor, writing for the Express, Arsenal are expected to offload Ainsley Maitland-Niles before the window closes.
Marco Silva is hoping to capitalise on this but faces stern competition from West Ham United and AFC Bournemouth.
The versatile Englishman has just one year left on his £48k-per-week deal, so the Gunners are looking to make any money they can before he leaves for free.
It could be a Wilson repeat
Having managed to secure the abilities of Harry Wilson from Liverpool just last summer, a £12m fee seems like a great piece of business for a special British talent.
In this potential Maitland-Niles deal, Silva could snatch another British winger with bags of ability, and a versatility that is of paramount importance to boosting out a squad.
The Welshman was instrumental in the Cottager’s Championship title win, scoring ten and assisting an astounding 20 goals in just 41 appearances. Although he had impressed in spells for Bournemouth, his move to Craven Cottage has seen his career explode.
Perhaps Maitland-Niles could do similarly, adding goals and assists in a fixed position rather than being forced to be the utility man as he was at the Emirates and for AS Roma.
It is clear that Mikel Arteta only viewed him as this, as despite labelling him a “huge talent”, he continued by claiming that “he’s versatile enough to adapt to almost any position on the pitch.”
At the age of just 24, he should be pushing for minutes in his favoured position, to prove whether he truly is good enough to shine at this level.
He would bring a wealth of experience to Fulham, having featured 87 times in the Premier League and even in European competitions.
Whilst Wilson came with some of this experience, Maitland-Niles’ far dwarfs that and suggests that he too could be a big hit.
The two are completely different players, but both could have massive impacts on the club in completely different ways. It could mark another masterstroke in the market for Silva.
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