As the January transfer market winds down, Mike Arteta and Edu still have a few issues to resolve within the current Arsenal squad.
What do they do with Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Calum Chambers and Reiss Nelson?
Maitland-Niles has played in 20 matches this season. 11 of those were in the Premier League.
Since returning from injury, Chambers has played in only two matches. He started once and subbed once in the Europa League.
Reiss Nelson, on the other hand, has seen the pitch 9 times this season, but mostly in cup games.
All three of these men are talented and valuable players for this club, however, collectively they have fallen down Mikel Arteta’s pecking order for starters. My feeling is that Arteta and Edu would like to keep these young men around, however, they also need playing time to continue growing as professional footballers.
AMN is the one player I think the club really needs to keep. The good news for Arsenal is that he can cover multiple positions. The bad news for AMN is that he can cover multiple positions, which leaves him any chance to develop as a midfielder, the position is really wants play. For selfish reasons, AMN needs to stay.
However, it is my hope that we will see Chambers let go, and Nelson sent out on loan. I don’t think Chambers needs another loan spell. He needs a club who needs him. Nelson, on the other hand, could greatly benefit from gaining substantial playing time on load for the rest of this season. Just look at what the loan spell did for Emile Smith Rowe.
Cheers.
Gunner1953