It seemed in the summer of 2020 that Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ career was only on an upward trajectory.
He played the entire match in Arsenal’s 2–1 FA Cup final win over Chelsea, was named man of the match in the Community Shield defeat to Liverpool, then made his international debut against Denmark .
He won five England caps that year, but frustration set in as he struggled to hold down a starting place under Mikel Arteta.
Eager to play regular first-team football, he underwent three test loan spells – experiencing relegation at West Bromwich Albion and Southampton, as well as a difficult spell under Jose Mourinho at Roma.
He initially struggled 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 return to his best form.
After a bruising start to the season which left them last in Ligue 1, Lyon are now fighting for a European place and playing in the Coupe de France final on May 25 against champions Paris Saint-Germain.
It has been another whirlwind campaign for Maitland-Niles, who is on his third manager of the season.
“It started very slowly, it was hard,” he says. “I didn’t play many games in the first half of the season and it was exhausting to see one coach come in, one pass, then another. But we started winning matches and climbing the rankings.
He also witnessed the dark side of football when the Lyon team bus was attacked by Marseille fans as it arrived at the Stade Vélodrome at the end of October. Head coach Fabio Grosso was left with a bloody head after rocks and stones were thrown at the window and the match was abandoned. “It was shocking,” he said.
Things have clicked for Maitland-Niles in France under Pierre Sage, who was promoted from the club’s academy following Grosso’s dismissal in November. His former teammate at Arsenal, Alexandre Lacazette, helped him settle in and he developed a relationship with the Lyon fans.
How did he experience stepping 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 think no one should turn it down. But I’m not saying it’s best for everyone, because sometimes it takes time to find your feet. And few people have the time to do that in their career.
For Maitland-Niles, it all started at the age of five when he was spotted playing for Lakeview in an east London park, near his home in Ilford.
He joined Arsenal’s academy at the age of six and was a striker who took inspiration from Thierry Henry, moving to winger before moving to midfielder. He now normally plays as a full-back.
At Arsenal, he saw the transition from Arsene Wenger, through Unai Emery, to finally Arteta.
Now aged 26, how does he look back on his time in north London?
“I will cherish it forever,” he said. “It’s my childhood club, I still support them and look out for them. I hope they win the championship this year. I would love to see them do it. I have no desire in my heart.
“It’s a good thing to have grown up at such a big club, the way they taught us how to play football and how to read the game over the years.”
Maitland-Niles is trying to build on what he has learned from Wenger, Emery and Arteta.
“Even now I look back on it and think about some of the things they taught me,” he says. “I still use it today to prepare for matches, to study our opponents and my own movements on the pitch and to read the match. This comes from having had these 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 this high point in 2020, why didn’t he hit the ground running 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 and then it just went downhill. It’s difficult to get selected for England when you don’t have consistent football, unless you’re a regular 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 then took out a few loans to try to gain momentum , but it didn’t go as planned. I was always interested in playing football and not sitting on the bench waiting for my turn.
That desire to play led to a loan move to relegation-threatened West Brom under Sam Allardyce.
“At first it was a shock. The first few days I was like, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen anything like this before,'” he says with a laugh. “But he’s a good guy, he wants his team to succeed. He obviously has a different method of going about it.
But after taking over from Slaven Bilic before Christmas, Allardyce oversaw just four wins, with West Brom finishing 19th during a season played in soulless and empty stadiums due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Maitland-Niles was then sent to Roma in Serie A, a period which started promisingly before running out of steam.
“The football was good at the start and I played seven games in a row,” he says. “But then the players came back from injury and I was out again. Sometimes people like to tell you things just to bring you in and make their team a little stronger.
So could Mourinho have provided more clarity on what was happening? “Yeah.”
Then followed another relegation fight in the Premier League, this time with Southampton under Ralph Hasenhuttl, Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles. They finished last with only 25 points. How did he find this chaotic dogfight?
“That’s what builds character,” he says. “It’s difficult. Nobody wants to go through that but unfortunately I did it and a lot of players went through it with me. It just helped me gain perspective in my life.
“I would have liked to stay at Arsenal and I preferred to be there and play matches. But it helped me grow as an individual, so I wouldn’t take anything away.
Throughout his career, debate has raged over his best position. So what is his point of view?
“I’ve always played wherever managers told me to play, and it’s been misinterpreted 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 as a full-back than in midfield, but naturally I’m a midfielder who can play right-back.
Maitland-Niles, who became a father to son Azari in 2022, now looks ahead to what he hopes to achieve in the rest of his career.
“Everything is possible,” he replies.
“I would love to represent my country again in a major tournament. I just want to keep going and try to win as many trophies and competitions as possible. In the short term, it would be good to return to Europe with Lyon.
On the subject of England, has there been any contact with manager Gareth Southgate?
“No, I haven’t had any conversations or messages with him since the last appearance I made for England. So it would be nice to hear from him or see a message pop up saying I’ve been called.
Is he sometimes afraid of being excluded while playing abroad? This year Kalvin Phillips revealed Southgate encouraged him to stay in the Premier League rather than move abroad. He was loaned to West Ham United.
“Yes, of course,” he said. “Unless there is a group of players in the national team in the same country, it will not be a situation where he just flies out to observe a single player. It is so harder than playing in the Premier League because his eyes aren’t always on you. I just kept my head down and kept trying to work hard.
Next up for Maitland-Niles is this cup final against PSG (who have already beaten Lyon twice this season) and trying to stop Kylian Mbappe.
“He’s the best player I’ve faced in my career,” he said. “He is everything and more than what everyone says about him. He has pace, power, strength and a superb shot. He’s a very intelligent player, so it will be difficult. But it’s time to get revenge and end the year with a trophy.
(Top photo: Xavier Laine/Getty Images)