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Everton are planning to try again to sign Arsenal utility player Ainsley Maitland-Niles when the January transfer window opens.
The Merseyside club came close to signing him, before the Gunners blocked the move on deadline day, arguing that the offer they received was wholly inadequate, and insisting that the England player remained part of their plans for the current season.
That prompted Maitland-Niles to then issue a social media post calling him to be allowed to leave, for which he was disciplined by the club.
Now, having initially wanted to take Maitland-Niles on loan, Everton are now planning to offer him a permanent deal.
Maitland-Niles spent the second-half of last season on loan with West Bromwich Albion, but was unable to prevent the side from slipping back to the Championship at the and of the campaign.
A graduate of the Arsenal academy system, his current deal at the Emirates expires in 2023. He started the match against Nrwich on Saturday in midfield, his preferred position, before dropping back to right-back. He was replaced by Cedric.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.