"God can turn around any situation" - 24-year-old Arsenal outcast drops cryptic Instagram transfer hint

Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles has recently dropped a hint about his future at the Premier League club in a cryptic post on social media.

Maitland-Niles is currently in the final year of his current deal at the Emirates Stadium.

He has fallen out of favor at the north London club of late. Over the past two seasons, he has failed to secure a place in Mikel Arteta's first-team plans. Hence, the Englishman has been linked with a move to Nottingham Forest this summer (via Daily Mail).

During the 2020-21 campaign, the 24-year-old was loaned out to West Bromwich Albion in the second half of the campaign. He was linked with a move away from Arsenal in the summer of 2021 but ended up staying in London.

With hopes of resurrecting his career, Maitland-Niles joined Roma on a six-month loan in January this year. During the 2021-22 season, he made 12 appearances for the Serie A outfit without registering a single goal contribution.

Now, Maitland-Niles has posted a cryptic Bible verse on his Instagram.

"God can turn around any situation. Romans 8:28."

Meanwhile, former team-mate and current Arsenal academy manager Per Mertesacker has hinted that Maitland-Niles might move to another club. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said:

"To see them [Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Reiss Nelson] in the leagues of Europe – they went to Holland and Italy – it was a fantastic experience for them. Hopefully they will see the benefit of it, whether that is here with us or whether they need to go somewhere else, that is obviously the decision of Edu and Mikel Arteta."

Since making his senior debut in 2014, Maitland-Niles has made 132 appearances for the Gunners, registering three goals and eight assists in the process.

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Arsenal interested in signing Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka

The Gunners are reportedly keen to acquire the services of Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka in the ongoing transfer window.

Speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast, journalist Graeme Bailey elaborated on the future of the 18-year-old. He said:

"He's one of England's best young midfielders, the problem is that he's not happy with what's going on at Aston Villa. He played around 18 games last year, but he's refusing to sign a new contract."

He continued:

"We are seeing Arsenal and Newcastle linked and they are both seeing this guy as someone who could potentially start for them. He's only 18 but he's a super talent, so it's no surprise to see Arsenal in for this guy. He's a hugely exciting talent."

Chukwuemeka recently helped England's U-19 side win the U-19 European Championships.