Newcastle United have been linked with a move for Mohamed Elneny – but Eddie Howe ought to be looking at signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles instead.
A recent report from the Daily Mail claimed the Magpies have a shortlist of five players, with the Egyptian supposedly an option.
Elneny has been with Arsenal since 2016, joining from Swiss outfit FC Basel.
The 29-year-old has never really been a nailed-on starter at the Emirates in all the time he’s been in north London.
He has made 137 appearances for the Gunners, and had a loan spell with Besiktas.
Newcastle’s apparent interest in Elneny is somewhat odd.
it’s probably fair to say most Arsenal fans don’t hold him in particularly high regard. Realistically, few would pick him if asked to name their best Arsenal XI.
Newcastle could do better, and if they’re looking at Elneny, then perhaps they could cast the net ever so slight further afield.
One man who could be a better option for Newcastle is Maitland-Niles.
The ace has struggled for game time this season, which follows a situation with the player on transfer deadline day.
He made his feelings clear that he wanted to leave the club with a post to his Instagram Story. He wrote: “All I want to do is go where I’m wanted & where I’m going to play @Arsenal.”
So far in 2021/22, Maitland-Niles has made just 11 appearances. Only two of those 11 appearances have been Premier League starts.
The management of him by Mikel Arteta is slightly perplexing, especially with Thomas Partey coming in for criticism recently.
Maitland-Niles got man of the match against Watford last month, leading to Arteta calling him ‘a different player’. The Spaniard, bizarrely, has not started him in a game since.
Newcastle should liberate Maitland-Niles instead of seeking Elneny transfer
If Newcastle are going to target any Arsenal midfielder next month it should be Maitland-Niles.
The 24-year-old is a tidy central midfielder by trade, but can play on the left or right of defence, as a full-back or wing-back.
One gets the feeling that £52,000-a-week star Maitland-Niles needs to start somewhere afresh. He was on the books of England not too long ago, but his lack of minutes have seen him fall by the wayside at international level.
Newcastle signed Joe Willock in the summer. Perhaps Maitland-Niles would like the idea of linking up with his former teammate.
In signing Maitland-Niles, Newcastle would be getting a quality player with a point to prove and room to get much better, unlike Elneny.
Interestingly, Newcastle have been linked with Maitland-Niles before. There were reports in the summer that he was a potential option.
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