Ainsley Maitland-Niles joined a select band of English players playing in Ligue 1 when he signed for Lyon at the start of last season.
Our former academy product spent 20 years with us, having signed in the pre-academy at the age of six, but left after his contract expired last summer.
A versatile midfielder who also spent a lot of his Gunners career at full-back, Ainsley played more than 100 times for our first team, after making his debut aged just 17 in December 2014.
That made him the 17th youngest player in the club’s history, and after a successful loan spell at Ipswich Town, he went on to play for us in each of the following six seasons, winning two Community Shields, playing in the 2019 Europa League final and lifting the 2020 FA Cup, after playing the full 90 minutes in the 2-1 win over Chelsea at Wembley.
A few months later he made his senior debut for the England national team, winning five caps in all under Gareth Southgate. But after more loan spells (with West Bromwich Albion, Roma and Southampton) his Gunners career came to an end last summer.
His next move took him to France, as he signed for Lyon, rejoining former teammate Alexandre Lacazette. He settled into life seamlessly in France, playing in midfield in his first few outings, before getting a run of games from midway in the season, playing the second half of the campaign at full-back. He contributed four assists, but maybe the highlight of his season came in the dramatic clash with Brest in April.
After going 1-0 up, Lyon found themselves trailing 3-1 going into the last 20 minutes or so. They fought back to level against the league’s second-place team, then won a penalty deep, deep into injury time. With 106 minutes on the clock, up stepped Ainsley, who rolled home from 12 yards with customary nonchalance.
The three points would prove huge in the race for the top six, which Lyon eventually secured. It means that Ainsley, who turns 27 at the end of the month, has European football to look forward to yet again. It was in continental competition, nearly 10 years ago, that he made his professional debut.
We caught up with Ainsley recently to ask him about life at Lyon and his return to north London this week.
Ainsley, welcome back! How has your time in France been so far with Lyon? Do you feel at home there now?
Yes, definitely. It was a slow start to the season but eventually, around Christmas time, we picked up some form. I started to get a run of games under my belt as well, so yeah it definitely feels like home to me.
Was it helpful to have Alexandre Lacazette there at the club to help you settle in?
Yeah, it was nice to have Laca here, and he really helped me settle in. Seeing a familiar face always makes it easier for you, so that was nice from him. I moved out here with my family too so it’s been a great time so far. I knew some of the other players too, but not really on a personal level. It was nice to see some players that I have played with before, and been on the pitch with, even if it wasn’t a close relationship.
How is your French coming along?
My French isn’t that good to be honest, not good enough to be able to do interviews just yet, but I’m working on it to get to that stage. There are a few English speakers in the team, some better than others, so I try to teach them more as well, like they do to me with French.
It was a disappointing end to the season, losing the cup final, but the excellent run in the league must be a good platform for this season?
I wouldn’t say it was a disappointing end all in all because we did very well to get in Europe for next season. Of course we would have loved to be in the Champions League, we didn’t, but we are more goal-orientated and focused this year to be able to maximise the opportunities we have.
Can you tell us about the end of the game against Brest? It was 3-3 in the 16th minute of injury time when you had a penalty to win the game…
I just keep my routine for penalties how it is, try to stay calm under the pressure and I just wanted to win the game for the team. It was a great feeling.
How difficult was it to leave Arsenal after spending 16 years at the club?
I’m very mature in my mind and I understand how football works. 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.
What are your memories of the Emirates Cup? Your first match was a 5-2 win over Benfica back in 2017…
That was some years ago! I don’t remember it that clearly, but yeah I remember I was still a teenager for that game and it was a great experience.
Finally, are you looking forward to being back in London for the game?
Yeah, everyone wants to go to the game! It’s nice to be back and obviously to see the fans again, some old teammates that are still there and the coaching staff too, so it will be a great game.
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