West Ham United are reportedly interested in Arsenal utility man Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who could be seen as a valuable addition this summer.
According to Daily Mail, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is a target for West Ham United as David Moyes continues to search for a midfield option in the market. The Arsenal utility man can play in multiple positions and is available for sale.
West Ham United have suffered a reality check on their current status in the Premier League. David Moyes watched helplessly from the sidelines as his team succumbed to a defeat at home against Brighton & Hove Albion this past weekend. The Scottish tactician continues searching through the market for options that improve his squad to bolster their current fortunes.
With limited time left in the summer transfer window, Moyes may not bring in all his targets, including a left-back, attacking midfielder, and central midfielder. Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri is an option for West Ham, and he could soon make a move across London.
Club Brugge’s Hans Vanaken is another player seemingly getting closer to joining the Hammers. And Moyes could then turn his attention towards bringing in a midfielder he has coveted all summer. After losing out on several options, including Cheick Doucoure and Amadou Onana, the West Ham boss could turn to Arsenal for a solution.
The Gunners have utility man Ainsley Maitland-Niles available for sale in the market, as the 24-year-old is out of favour at the club. Mikel Arteta seemed to have placed some level of trust in the versatile player during certain games last season, but Arsenal then shipped him out to AS Roma on loan in January.
Maitland-Niles returned to Arsenal for pre-season without making much of an impact in Rome. There was interest from Nottingham Forest, but the newly promoted Premier League outfit have since made different signings and are seemingly no longer in the Arsenal utility man.
West Ham could be considering approaching Arsenal for the 24-year-old, but the Gunners will have to sell him outright as a loan is out of the question. Maitland-Niles has a year left on his deal, and Arsenal will be hoping to recoup some fee for their academy graduate.
Maitland-Niles has shown his quality before as a midfielder, a position he prefers to play. However, his best displays have come as a right-back for Arsenal, where various managers have regularly utilised him.
Whether Moyes views the Arsenal utility man him as a midfielder or a full-back won’t matter because the West Ham manager might consider both positions as a weak point after three defeats. Maitland-Niles could certainly add some much-needed quality to the West Ham squad, and he could occasionally occupy one of those two positions.
