Jose Mourinho has made it clear that Roma have no intentions of signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles on a permanent deal, by saying that the Europa Conference League champions will ‘miss’ him.
The 24-year-old joined the Italian side in January on a six-month loan deal, in a move that looked to rejuvenate his stagnating career.
It’s understood that there was potentially a deal in place in the initial contract to make the move permanent, but after an underwhelming stint in Rome, this now appears unlikely.
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Maitland-Niles made just 12 appearances under Mourinho and is now expected to be offered to Premier League clubs as Arsenal look to recoup some money for their academy graduate.
The England international, capped 5 times, posted on his Instagram account a picture of him holding the new trophy in Tirana, captioned: “Great way to end the season.
“Thank you to the Roma fans, players and staff for believing in me as one of their own for the short period of time spent at the club.
“What [an] experience and to be a part of history with the club.”
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Mourinho’s message to Maitland-Niles that Roma will miss him and that “he’s one of us” appears to confirm the news that the player will not return to the Serie A for the 22/23 campaign.
The versatile midfielder, who can also play as a full-back, has made 132 appearances for Arsenal scoring 3 goals, and will now look to depart North London permanently in an attempt to resurrect his career.
Topics: Ainsley Maitland Niles, AS Roma, Arsenal, Transfers
Alfie Culshaw