2. Ainsley Maitland-Niles
- Age: 17
- Position: Striker
- Squad Number: 70
- Best Quality: Pace
Now this may be a guy you’re a bit more familiar with, after Maitland-Niles has featured in small segments for the Gunners first team this season.
Born in England, the pacey forward can play either through the middle or on the wings, as he has shown with the Under 21s squad through the whole of last season.
His consistency was first recognised by Wenger, after he featured 37 times for the academy last year, so managed to hold down a firm place in the team. He also featured in every single game Arsenal played in the UEFA Youth Cup, where we were unfortunately knocked out in the semi-finals.
Maitland-Niles has the same characteristics as Walcott almost, he is quick but also has a keen eye for goal, and nothing will stop him from getting to where he wants to be in the first team, after all, the kid has been with the Gunners since he was nine years old!
2015 is a massive year for him now and we need to be careful with how we treat him. With recent signings coming in there is less space on that bench, so I think he is more ideal to play consistently with the Under 21’s and get more game time. The experience in the first team is good, but during his time on the pitch he looked a little shaky and struggled to make any real impact, which is understandable.
The best thing the striker can do now is improve his goal tally, he knows now that the manager sees something in him, so it’s time to deliver the goods. Watch this space! Press the page numbers below to see the rest of this article.