Ainsley Maitland-Niles has competed at the top level in England, Italy and France.
However, the versatile defender nearly saw his career derailed by his mother while he was coming through the ranks at Arsenal and looking to accelerate his progress out on loan.
The 27-year-old spent the 2015/16 campaign with Ipswich Town and made 32 appearances for the club, scoring two goals and registering two assists. The deal proved a success for all parties, with Maitland-Niles gaining valuable experience in the Championship.
However, the loan move could have very easily headed in the opposite direction in April 2016. According to the Daily Mail, Maitland-Niles was omitted from Ipswich’s matchday squad for several matches after his mother left an X-rated voicemail on the phone of then-manager Mick McCarthy.
She was unhappy that her son was instructed not to attend England’s kit launch despite being invited by the Football Association (FA), with McCarthy insisting that Maitland-Niles must remain with the squad.
His mother, Jules, took matters into her own hands and attempted to speak with the manager, and she could not contain her anger after the phone went to voicemail. The message left was said to be ‘laden with expletives’ which left McCarthy with no choice but to drop Maitland-Niles.
The matter was eventually resolved after Arsenal vowed for their academy graduate to remain at the club. He then returned and spent the following campaigns on the fringes of Arsene Wenger’s first team.
Maitland-Niles then featured regularly under Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta, with his performances seeing him heavily linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium. Barcelona were among those keen to sign the right-back in the summer of 2020, but Arteta eventually managed to talk him out of a move away from north London.
Speaking about his decision to remain with the Gunners, Maitland-Niles said: “There was a lot of speculation going around, but I chose to stay at the club I love. I am happy with my decision and I am sure the manager is happy that I stayed as well. It was about the manager having faith in me and him letting me know what’s going on and the situation. He did that and everything was fine in the end.”
In a matter of months after snubbing transfer interest elsewhere, Maitland-Niles fell out of favour at Arsenal and decided to head elsewhere. He spent time on loan at West Brom, Roma and Southampton before joining Lyon on a free transfer. The 27-year-old has made seven Ligue 1 appearances for the club so far this season and is a key member of Pierre Sage’s squad.