It seemed in the summer of 2020 that Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ career was only on an upward trajectory.
He played the full match in Arsenal’s 2-1 FA Cup final victory over Chelsea, was named man of the match in their Community Shield defeat of Liverpool and then made his international debut against Denmark.
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He won five England caps that year but frustration kicked in as he struggled to hold down a starting spot under Mikel Arteta.
Eager to play regular first-team football, he had three testing loan spells — experiencing relegation at West Bromwich Albion and Southampton, as well as a tricky time under Jose Mourinho at Roma.
He initially found it tough going after moving permanently to Lyon last summer — closing the chapter on his two-decade stay at Arsenal — but has found his feet and is starting to rediscover his best form.
After a bruising start to the season that left them bottom of Ligue 1, Lyon are now fighting for a European spot and play in the Coupe de France (French Cup) final on May 25 against champions Paris Saint-Germain.
It’s been another whirlwind campaign for Maitland-Niles, who is on his third manager of the season.
“It started off very slow, it was tough,” he says. “I didn’t get many games in the first half of the season and it was draining seeing one coach come, one go, then another. But we’ve started to win games and climb up the table.”
He also witnessed the dark side of football when the Lyon team bus was attacked by Marseille fans as it pulled into the Stade Velodrome at the end of October. Head coach Fabio Grosso was left with a bleeding head after rocks and stones were thrown at the window and the match was abandoned. “It was shocking,” he says.
Things have clicked for Maitland-Niles in France under Pierre Sage, who was promoted from the club’s academy after Grosso’s sacking in November. Ex-Arsenal team-mate Alexandre Lacazette helped him settle and he has developed a rapport with the Lyon supporters.
How has he found being out of his comfort zone in a new country?
“It’s good to play abroad because you learn more about yourself,” he adds. “If the opportunity comes (to play abroad), I don’t think anyone should turn it down. But I’m not saying it’s the best for everyone, because sometimes it takes time to find your feet. And not a lot of people have time in their career to do so.”
For Maitland-Niles, it all started as a five-year-old when he was scouted playing for Lakeview in an east London park close to his Ilford home.
He joined Arsenal’s academy aged six and was a striker who modelled himself on Thierry Henry, switching to a winger before moving into midfield. He normally now plays as a full-back.
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At Arsenal, he saw the transition from Arsene Wenger, through Unai Emery, to finally Arteta.
Now 26, how does he look back on his time in north London?
“I’ll cherish it forever,” he says. “It’s my boyhood club, I still support them and look out for them. I’m hoping they are going to win the league this year. I’d love to see them do it. I have no envy in my heart at all.
“It’s a great thing to have grown up in such a great club, the way they taught us to play football and how to read the game over the years.”
Maitland-Niles tries to draw on things he learned from Wenger, Emery and Arteta.
“Even now, I’m looking back at it and thinking about some of the stuff they’ve taught me,” he says. “I still use it to this day — to prepare myself for games, the way I study our opponents and my own movements on the pitch and reading the game. It stemmed from having those three great managers in the past.”
He still speaks regularly with Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Jesus.
After breaking into the team and reaching that high point in 2020, why did he not kick on and become an integral part of Arteta’s Arsenal?
“After my last cap for England (against Iceland in November 2020), I came back to Arsenal and didn’t make the starting XI, then it just went downhill. It’s hard to get picked for England when you don’t have consistent football, unless you’re one of the regulars like Harry Maguire.
“It’s frustrating. Everyone wants to play football and everyone wants to play for their country. It was the lack of football that was stopping me. I went on a few loans after that to try to pick up momentum but it didn’t go to plan. It was always my interest to be playing football and not sit on the bench waiting for my turn.”
That desire to play led to a loan at relegation-threatened West Brom under Sam Allardyce.
“That was a shock at first — for the first couple of days, I was like, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen something like this before’,” he laughs. “But he’s a good guy, he wants his team to do well. He obviously has a different method to go about it.”
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But after taking over from Slaven Bilic before Christmas, Allardyce oversaw just four wins, with West Brom finishing 19th in a season played in soulless, empty stadiums because of Covid-19 restrictions.
Maitland-Niles was then sent to Roma in Serie A, a period that started promisingly before fizzling out.
“The football was good at first and I played seven games in a row,” he says. “But then players came back from injury and I was out again. Sometimes, people like to tell you things just to bring you in so they can boost their squad for a bit.”
So Mourinho could have given greater clarity about what was happening? “Yeah.”
Then followed another Premier League relegation fight, this time with Southampton under Ralph Hasenhuttl, Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles. They finished bottom with just 25 points. How did he find that chaotic dogfight?
“That’s what builds character,” he says. “It’s difficult. No one wants to go through that but unfortunately, I did and a lot of players went through it with me. It just helped me put perspective into my life.
“I would have liked to stay at Arsenal and preferred to be there and playing games. But it helped me grow as an individual, so I wouldn’t take back anything.”
Throughout his career, debate has raged about his best position. So what’s his view?
“I’ve always played wherever the managers have told me to play, and it kind of got misconstrued in the past,” he says. “I said I was a midfielder, not a full-back, and at the time I wasn’t. Obviously now I’ve played more games at full-back than I have in the midfield but naturally, I am a midfielder that can play right-back.”
Maitland-Niles, who became a father to son Azari in 2022, is now looking ahead to what he hopes to achieve in the rest of his career.
“Anything’s possible,” he replies.
“I’d love to represent my country again in a major tournament. I just want to push on and try to win as many trophies and competitions as possible. In the short term, it would be nice to get back into Europe with Lyon.”
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On the subject of England, has there been any contact with manager Gareth Southgate?
“No, I haven’t had any conversations with him or messages since the last appearance I made for England. So it’d be nice to hear from him or to see a message pop up to say I have been called up.”
Does he ever worry about being out of the picture by playing abroad? This year, Kalvin Phillips revealed Southgate had encouraged him to stay in the Premier League rather than move overseas. He went to West Ham United on loan.
“Yeah, of course,” he says. “Unless there’s a bunch of players in the national team in the same country, it’s not going to be a thing where he’s just going to be flying out to watch one player. So it’s more difficult than playing in the Premier League because his eyes are not always on you. I’ve just kept my head down and keep trying to work hard.”
Next up for Maitland-Niles is that cup final against PSG (who have beaten Lyon twice already this season) and trying to stop one Kylian Mbappe.
“He’s the best player I’ve faced in my career,” he says. “He’s everything and more that everyone says about him. He’s got pace, power, strength and a great shot. He’s a very intelligent player, so it will be difficult. But it’s time to get some payback and cap off the year with a trophy.”
(Top photo: Xavier Laine/Getty Images)