Ainsley Maitland-Niles has reflected on his decision to leave Arsenal after spending 16 years at the club. 

Maitland-Niles is a product of the Arsenal youth system and went on to make 132 appearances for the club across all competitions between 2014 and 2023, winning FA Cup and Community Shield titles.

However, Maitland-Niles was never truly able to establish himself as a regular starter at the Emirates Stadium and following loans with West Brom, Roma and Southampton, joined Lyon upon the expiry of his Arsenal contract last summer.

The 26-year-old played 29 times across all competitions last season to help Lyon climb from a relegation battle into sixth place in Ligue 1 while also reaching the Coupe de France final — losing 2-1 to PSG.

Maitland-Niles was back in London on Sunday as Lyon took on Arsenal in the Emirates Cup, with the Gunners winning 2-0 thanks to goals from centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães.

Speaking before that match, Maitland-Niles recalled how leaving Arsenal when he did was the correct decision for his career.

?? Friendship with Laca
? Penalty king
?? French lessons

We spoke to Hale End graduate Ainsley Maitland-Niles ahead of his Emirates Stadium return ?

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 11, 2024

“I’m very mature in my mind and I understand how football works,” Maitland-Niles told Arsenal’s official website.

“Sometimes it’s time to let go of a club that has been so dear to you and you had so many years with. So it was more of a process of trying to move on, both for my family and myself.

“Obviously my contract expired anyway, so I had to find something that was concrete and solid and I felt like Lyon was the best fit.”

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This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive transfer news via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io

‘Here we go’ x3 for Manchester United, plus update on midfielder search

Aaron Wan-Bissaka to West Ham is a ‘here we go’ and it’s a crucial story because, as I reported previously, Manchester United were waiting for Wan-Bissaka to leave in order to be able to bring in a new right-back and also a new centre-back.

Now it’s happening, with Wan-Bissaka joining West Ham in a permanent transfer, and it’s an important sale as United could have lost him on a free when his contract would have expired next summer. Inter were also interested in the 26-year-old, though it would have been in a year’s time as a free agent, not in a swap deal this summer. Still, Wan-Bissaka decided to accept the offer from West Ham for a five-year contract, and he’ll have his medical tests with the Hammers this morning.

So, everything is done for Wan-Bissaka to move from Man United to West Ham for £15m – this is the value of the deal, and West Ham are truly on fire at the moment with a big summer that has seen them appoint Julen Lopetegui as their new manager whilst also completing deals like Wan-Bissaka, and also Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, Guido Rodriguez, Crysencio Summerville and others.

As I previously reported, United want to attack the market and now we can say that it’s ‘here we go’ for Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to move to Old Trafford. The deal is done with Bayern, and we have to congratulate United because the deal has been completed as they wanted – the timing was longer than expected, but it was worth it for United.

It was not always easy negotiating with Bayern, who for months insisted on guaranteed money, not add-ons, but United always wanted to get the deals done with add-ons. Now we can say that De Ligt will be joining the Red Devils for €45m plus €5m in add-ons. Bayern sources say these add-ons will be quite easy to reach, but it’s still structured quite favourably for United, and for Mazraoui it’s also €15m plus €5m in add-ons.

Now both players will travel to join United and both are set to sign five-year deals. In the case of De Ligt, this agreement was actually reached with his agent Rafaela Pimenta back in June, so he’s been waiting and waiting for United and was never negotiating with any other club. Mazraoui has also been waiting patiently since July, with United at times considering other right-back options like Vanderson and Denzel Dumfries. Still, Mazraoui looks a good option as he knows Erik ten Hag well from their time at Ajax, and he can fill in at left-back as well as on the right-hand side.

So, this is the double deal between Bayern and United, and now Bayern are expected to sign one more centre-back. Jonathan Tah’s agent is still working on the deal for him to move to the Allianz Arena so let’s wait for developments there, but he’s expected to be the new centre-back for the Bavarian giants.

United also remain busy in the search for a new midfielder – they spoke with the agents of Sander Berge and have considered other options, but their top target remains Manuel Ugarte. PSG will have to drop their price as United will not pay crazy money, otherwise they could also sell one player in that position, it could be Scott McTominay or Casemiro, we will see, but they will likely need a sale in order to finance the deal.

Still, United could also go for a cheaper midfielder, so Berge could be one to watch after contacts with his agent, while Sofyan Amrabat remains a player on their list even after they initially decided not to sign him permanently from Fiorentina after last season’s loan came to an end. Amrabat remains appreciated by Ten Hag, so there are some Plan B options behind Ugarte, but let’s wait and see what happens with PSG on that one.

Two new signings close for Chelsea, but “impossible” for this Blues star to stay

Samu Omorodion is in London and ready to sign his seven-year deal with Chelsea, while Pedro Neto is also close to completing the formalities of his move as the Blues plan to unveil him in front of their fans at Stamford Bridge today.

Still, we also know that there are a few Chelsea players now out of the project – Romelu Lukaku, who has a three-year deal in place with Napoli, but also Kepa Arrizabalaga who is still dreaming of Real Madrid.

As well as that, Armando Broja is no longer training with the first-team, and it’s the same with Trevoh Chalobah. Both players are on the market, with Chalobah’s asking price at around £30m. It’s also important to say that David Datro Fofana is another player who could leave Chelsea on a permanent transfer, or on loan with an obligation.

Lukaku will not stay at Chelsea. Impossible. I keep saying it’s Napoli for Lukaku, regardless of the Osimhen story. Conte wants him, he wants to work with Conte, a three-year deal is ready and Napoli can accelerate soon. I don’t see any other option. Nothing is happening with Osimhen this week, there are no updates, but it’s not that strongly linked to Lukaku, and in any case the plan remains for the Nigerian striker to leave Napoli. Chelsea are still waiting, but for Osimhen we have to be patient because he is still not accepting a loan move, which is the only option at the moment for Chelsea, and also because Osimhen will not reduce his salary.

So, the conditions of the deal will have to change, or else other things could happen with the Osimhen story in the final few weeks of this summer’s transfer market.

There has been speculation about other potential Chelsea exits as well, with Carney Chukwuemeka linked with Barcelona. Still, my understanding is that there is nothing concrete so far. Chelsea have not received any bid for Chukwuemeka and the situation is currently quiet. Then in the next days we will see… but at the moment there has been no offer made to Chelsea from Barca.

Chelsea have also not received proposals from Juventus for Raheem Sterling so far, and Sterling has received no contact from Italy yet, despite rumours. What I’m told is that Juventus are working on the Nico Gonzalez deal with Fiorentina as their priority for the new winger.

Three Liverpool transfer updates

Liverpool are still working to convince Martin Zubimendi to join the club and are waiting for his final decision. Just a reminder that other clubs such as Arsenal have also been interested in the Real Sociedad midfielder in recent times but were unable to persuade him to move, though there were no negotiations from the Gunners for him this summer.

Elsewhere with Liverpool, Fabio Carvalho is closing in on completing his move to Brentford. It’s a permanent deal worth £20m plus add-ons. However, there is no news at all on Virgil van Dijk, despite some stories at various points this summer.

It’s currently very quiet as Liverpool are counting on Van Dijk and there are no significant updates so far. In my opinion, he should stay and continue as he’s a key player for Liverpool and new manager Arne Slot will need him and the quality and experience he brings.

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Aug 11 2024, 17:33

In other news…

Jadon Sancho – There’s still no major update on Jadon Sancho’s future, but he remains one of the cases of this market. PSG have been making contact with Sancho’s agents, but there’s no bid yet, and he’s back in the Man United squad so let’s see what they will decide to do.

Marc Guehi – Newcastle are still there, yes. It’s not over yet. They want to try again but Crystal Palace insist on £65m fee. There are currently no other clubs involved, but Newcastle have not completed the deal yet so it’s one to follow in the next days.

Vladimir Coufal – There has been talk of West Ham sales, and it is the case that Coufal could leave and also some players upfront, but for now I can guarantee that focus remains on completing signings. The Wan-Bissaka deal is being sealed, then West Ham will discuss outgoings in the final three weeks, with nothing imminent yet.

The post Transfer news: ‘Here we go’ for Man Utd deals, two Chelsea signings imminent, Liverpool update & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal have shown that they’re going to be a force from set-pieces again this season with two first-half goals from corners against Lyon in today’s friendly at the Emirates Stadium.

William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have both headed in corners for the Gunners, as we saw from the two towering centre-backs on so many occasions last term.

Watch below for Saliba’s opening goal, with the Frenchman powering home in typical fashion…

??| GOAL: SALIBA OPENS THE SCORING FOR ARSENAL!

Arsenal 1-0 Lyon

pic.twitter.com/DUFa55s9vV

— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) August 11, 2024

Pictures from Foot Direct

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That made it 1-0, and it wasn’t too much longer before we saw a similar trick, with Gabriel arriving at the far post to nod in Declan Rice’s cross into the box…

??| GOAL: Gabriel Magalhaes DOUBLES the lead!!

Arsenal 2-0 Lyon

pic.twitter.com/t2uYUudCnM

— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) August 11, 2024

Arsenal fans will hope Mikel Arteta can continue to make his side a real force on set plays, with the north London giants often using them as something of a secret weapon.

This can be hugely useful for teams when other tactical plans aren’t quite working, so this looks really promising from Arsenal so far.

Lyon arguably aren’t the toughest opponents and it will be a different story once the competitive Premier League football gets going again, but these initial signs look good for Arsenal.

The post Arsenal show they’re set-piece masters again with two first-half goals vs Lyon appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Former Arsenal and Man Utd forward Alexis Sanchez returned to Italian side Udinese after 13 years away from the club.

Now 35 years old, Sanchez played 33 times across all competitions for Inter last season, scoring four times and helping the club win the Serie A title, before departing at the end of his contract.

That came after a successful year in France with Marseille — who he joined from Inter for one season — scoring 18 times in 44 appearances across all competitions.

Sanchez last played for Udinese between 2006 and 2011, scoring 21 goals in 112 games across all competitions, and rejoins the club on a two-year deal. Udinese won just six of their 38 Serie A games last season, but picked up 19 draws to help them finish 15th on 37 points, two points clear of relegation.

A L E X I S 7??

???? #ForzaUdinese #AlèUdin #Udinese #Sanchez pic.twitter.com/aul8N04bko

— Udinese Calcio (@Udinese_1896) August 10, 2024

A 166-time Chile international, Sanchez left Udinese in 2011 for Barcelona and won multiple honours with the Blaugrana — including the 2012/13 La Liga title — during a 141-game, 47-goal spell before joining Arsenal in 2014.

At the Emirates, Sanchez would score 80 goals in 166 appearances, winning two FA Cups and a Community Shield, before leaving for a more modest spell at Manchester United between January 2018 and the summer of 2019.

Sanchez is Udinese’s seventh signing of the summer transfer window, alongside Lorenzo Lucca, Jurgen Ekkelenkamp, Damian Pizarro, Jesper Karlstrom, Iker Bravo and Goncalo Esteves.

The post Former Arsenal and Man Utd forward returns to old club 13 years after leaving appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Manchester United are reportedly open to two other potential midfield transfer targets alongside Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte, who may be too expensive.

According to Fabrizio Romano on his YouTube channel, Man Utd are not willing to pay crazy money to PSG for Ugarte, even if he remains their preferred target, with cheaper options such as Burnley’s Sander Berge and former loanee Sofyan Amrabat also under consideration.

Ugarte looks ideal for United and may be realistically available this summer due to there being so much competition for places in Luis Enrique’s PSG midfield, though the Uruguay international surely won’t come cheap due to only just joining the Ligue 1 giants a year ago.

Berge could be a decent alternative after often performing well in the Premier League, even if he’s not exactly the kind of player you’d rank as one of the best in Europe.

Likewise, Amrabat showed some promise towards the end of his loan spell at Old Trafford last season after initially making a quiet start to life at the club.

Ugarte transfer: Can Man United reach an agreement for their top target?

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside recently, Jonathan Johnson explained the various moving parts in the Ugarte situation and what PSG’s plans might be for the Uruguay international.

“Ugarte to United seems to have gathered pace quite significantly and it’s not too surprising. I think Ugarte is tailor-made for the Premier League and I think the drop-off from Casemiro in the season just gone means it’s normal United would be looking for a profile like that to replace him,” Johnson said a few weeks ago.

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“It’s a critical moment as well because if this drags on and Ugarte finds himself out of favour with Enrique at the start of the new season with PSG, it will become that much harder for them to command the kind of fee they’ll want, and perhaps even half what they paid for him 12 months ago. If he goes now, PSG won’t make as much of a loss.”

This surely plays into United’s hands, so it looks like this will surely remain one to watch as the window nears its conclusion.

The post Manchester United open to two alternatives to Manuel Ugarte transfer appeared first on CaughtOffside.

West Ham United have confirmed the signing of centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo from Nice.

The 24-year-old arrives at the London Stadium on a season-long loan with an option to buy at £35m (per Sky Sports), which is up from the originally £27m agreement earlier this summer which was scuppered due to interest from Juventus.

Todibo brings plenty of pedigree having been capped twice at senior level for the French national team, while he’s represented the likes of Barcelona, Benfica and Schalke at club level.

“I am really excited to be signing for West Ham United,” the centre-back told the West Ham official website. “It is a dream come true to play in the Premier League, the best league in the world.

“This is an amazing opportunity for me, at a club with huge ambition, who want to really make progress under the new head coach.

“It feels like the right time to be coming to West Ham, in the heart of London, with an amazing, passionate fan-base. I’m so excited to pull on the West Ham shirt, and play at the London Stadium in the Premier League.”

The south of France to east London ??

Jean-Clair Todibo is a Hammer ?? pic.twitter.com/EgbZvNoqfU

— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 10, 2024

Hammers technical director Tim Steidten added: “It’s no secret that Jean-Clair is a player we’ve been tracking for some time, so we’re delighted to have got this signing over the line ahead of the start of the new season.

“He’s got proven pedigree in European football, especially in France, where he has shone in recent years, showing all of his qualities as one of the finest ball-playing centre-halves in Ligue 1.

“There was huge interest from across Europe for his signature this summer, and we’re once again indebted to the board for backing us to bring in a player who is approaching the peak years of his career.”

Todibo is the seventh signing of what has been a very busy summer for West Ham, who have also acquired Max Kilman, Luis Guilherme, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Guido Rodriguez and Wes Foderingham as they heavily back new manager Julen Lopetegui.

The post West Ham complete transfer of international with ‘proven pedigree’ appeared first on CaughtOffside.

As the 2024/25 Premier League season comes into view, Arsenal are still no closer to moving on Eddie Nketiah.

The 25-year-old is known to have agreed personal terms with French footballing giants, Marseille, but as of this moment, the Gunners have steadfastly refused to sell.

It’s a game of brinkmanship that could come back to bite Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar, should Marseille decide to back out of the deal.

Arsenal’s Nketiah demands could derail deal

According to The Athletic (subscription required), the North Londoners have made a specific demand which, if met, will finally see Nketiah swap the English top-flight for Ligue Un.

The Gunners will allow their player to move on loan as long as Marseille commit to paying a €30m fee upon completion of the loan deal.

That’s significantly more than the €20m that the French club have already offered for Nketiah, and puts the ball firmly back in Roberto De Zerbi’s court.

Just how badly does Marseille’s Italian manager want the player?

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Alternatively, De Zerbi can sit tight and take things right to the wire of course.

There doesn’t appear to be much appetite for Nketiah from elsewhere, so if we’re going into the final hours of the window and there’s still no likelihood of an agreement, will Arsenal decide to come closer to Marseille’s valuation?

It’s a real cat and mouse situation at the moment with the player stuck right in the middle.

Clearly, Nketiah sees his future away from the Emirates Stadium, though he may be forced to sit through another few barren months in North London if both clubs can’t find an acceptable middle ground.

The post Another twist in the Eddie Nketiah story as Arsenal insist significant demand is met appeared first on CaughtOffside.

This summer’s transfer window has been a hugely one for Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Erik ten Hag and Man United.

It was, in practice, the first where the INEOS owner could really set his stall out as to what kind of investment he was willing to make in terms of player purchases.

Thus far, the club have landed the brilliant Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee for ten Hag, with Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui expected to follow before the deadline.

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There may well be other deals in the pipeline though even if it remains at just four, they are all players which can improve United in various areas of the team.

Outgoings this summer are just as important too, particularly when it relates to players that don’t appear to have the club’s best interests at heart.

Man United in talks with PSG over Sancho

Jadon Sancho has seemingly returned to the club with his tail between his legs, and to his credit it also looks as if ten Hag has appeared to bury the hatchet with a player who significantly undermined his authority last season.

According to Football Transfers, Paris Saint Germain have been in direct contact with the Red Devils regarding a potential move for the England ace, albeit there are question marks over whether Luis Enrique would tolerate a player with the lack of application that Sancho appears to possess at times.

After ridding themselves of Mason Greenwood, a transfer out of another potential trouble maker would almost certainly make life easier for ten Hag.

The associated dressing room equilibrium that would arguably follow a transfer for Sancho is also a positive aspect that the club need to consider.

With three weeks left until the window closes, there’s plenty of time for the deal to get over the line.

The post Man United in direct talks for important transfer of highly-rated England international appeared first on CaughtOffside.

West Ham technical director Tim Steidten is attempting to hijack Juventus’ deal for Jean-Clair Todibo with the Premier League club already having a €40m agreement in place with OGC Nice.

The Hammers have been interested in the defender all summer as Julen Lopetegui has been keen to strengthen his centre-back options at the London club, however, Todibo has had his heart set on only moving to Juventus.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the 24-year-old’s wish was close to becoming reality on Wednesday as the transfer journalist reported that the Italian giants were nearing an agreement with Nice for Todibo with talks having entered the final stages.

A meeting took place on Wednesday between Juventus and the French star’s camp, with it being believed that the Turin outfit were ready to submit an improved bid to Nice for their centre-back.

Juve have been in talks with the French club for weeks but have not received the green light to complete a deal for Todibo. That left the door open for other clubs to pounce and on Thursday, West Ham’s Tim Steidten made his move. 

West Ham attempting to hijack Juventus’ deal for Jean-Clair Todibo

West Ham’s Steidten has travelled to Nice to try and hijack Juventus’ deal for Todibo with an agreement already reached between the two clubs for the centre-back.

Fabrizio Romano reports that the Hammers are ready to pay €40m plus a sell-on clause for the 24-year-old and are trying to book a medical for Friday to get the deal over the line. This would be incredible work from the West Ham director as Todibo is a player Lopetegui has been very keen on.

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The post West Ham’s Tim Steidten attempting incredible hijack of European giants’ deal, €40m agreement already reached appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Marseille have submitted a new bid for Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.

The Ligue 1 club have already signed Mason Greenwood from Manchester United but Roberto De Zerbi is keen to bolster his options and has identified Nketiah as a top target.

The 25-year-old is available for transfer after slipping down Mikel Arteta’s pecking order. Not even a backup to Gabriel Jesus, London-born Nketiah was overlooked by his manager who used midfielder Kai Havertz up front instead.

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Consequently, in search of regular minutes, the Arsenal number 14 is understandably keen to team up with De Zerbi in France.

Marseille launch fresh bid for Eddie Nketiah

And seeing his chances of getting a move boosted by leading transfer expert and CaughtOffside columnist Fabrizio Romano, Nketiah has become the subject of a new bid from Marseille with Arsenal agreeing to open negotiations.

The two clubs will now restart talks after the French club failed to make progress earlier in the window.

With Nketiah still having three years left on his contract, Arsenal are in a strong position, however, failure to meet Marseille’s expectations could see the transfer collapse again.

Since being promoted to the Gunners’ first-team in 2019, Nketiah, who also has one England cap to his name, has scored 38 goals and registered seven assists in 168 games in all competitions.

The post Ligue 1 club open talks with Arsenal to sign 25-year-old appeared first on CaughtOffside.