Ainsley Maitland-Niles Arsenal 2017

Maitland-Niles signs new long-term Arsenal deal

Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles has signed a new long-term contract at the club.

The 20-year-old made 15 Premier League appearances under Arsene Wenger's management in 2017-18, playing the full 90 minutes eight times.

Maitland-Niles will now continue his development under new manager Unai Emery, who replaced Wenger following the Frenchman's resignation.

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A versatile operator, he was deployed at left-back, left midfield and central midfield during the past season, and has also been capped by England at several youth levels, making four appearances for the Under-21s.

He also played a key role in the Three Lions' Under-20 World Cup-winning campaign in 2017, and has captained his country at that age group.

Maitland-Niles, who joined the club at the age of nine, has also earned a new squad number at Arsenal, the No.15.

The youngster may feature for Emery's side in their pre-season preparations, with the club set to take on Atletico Madrid and PSG in Singapore, while they will also face Chelsea in Sweden.

Emery faces a number of key decisions as he looks to return the Gunners to the all-conquering force they once were, and has already secured the signing of Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer from Juventus.

Santi Cazorla, however, has left the club following a chronic battle with injury, while Per Mertesacker has retired, leaving a gap in the club's defence.

Arsenal have been linked with Sevilla midfielder Steven N'Zonzi, but have been told to pay his £35 million ($47m) release clause if they want to secure his signature this summer, while Sokratis Papastathopoulos is closing in on a move to the Emirates Stadium from Borussia Dortmund.

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