Everton tipped to land 'decent fee' from Ainsley Maitland-Niles deal

Everton will likely look to get three years out of Ainsley Maitland-Niles before moving him on to the MLS or the Saudi Pro League.

That is the opinion of former senior Everton scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.

The 29-year-old arrived at Hill Dickinson Stadium on transfer deadline day, joining for around £3million from Lyon and signing a three-year deal.

Maitland-Niles made his debut off the bench on Saturday and enjoyed a dream start, scoring a 96th-minute screamer as Everton drew 2-2 with Manchester United.

The former Arsenal man has been brought in primarily as cover at right-back, but he is also capable of playing in midfield and on the left of the defence.

Everton chased a right-back throughout the summer, and will have been pleased to eventually get a deal over the line.

Maitland-Niles is a top signing

Maitland-Niles spent his entire youth career at Arsenal, gaining his first taste of regular senior football when he went on loan to Ipswich Town.

He would struggle for consistent minutes with the Gunners, but looked to take a significant step forward when Mikel Arteta was appointed.

The defender performed brilliantly as a left-wing back in the Spaniard's make-shift system, proving key as they won the FA Cup in 2020.

But Maitland-Niles had always seen himself as a central-midfielder and was willing to leave Arsenal in 2023 for the opportunity to play there for Lyon.

It did not last long, however, and it appears that the 29-year-old has accepted that his best role is at full-back.

"Some story, 25 yards, especially at that moment in the game. I mean, he's an interesting player," King told Football Insider.

"He started at Arsenal. He's 29 years old. They bought him from Lyon for decent money. And he's got bags of experience. I mean, he's a very experienced player, isn't he? He's played for England at every level.

"I don't think he's going to be involved with England in the future but, I mean, he's been capped at every level, from under-17 right up to the full international. Now, he can be a very interesting player for Everton.

"That could be a decent signing. He could be a good buy, bags of experience. If you can get another three years out of him, 32, he'll probably move to America or move to Saudi or somewhere like that for a decent fee as well. So, I think that was quite a good bit of business."

Maitland-Niles' secret weapon

Those who have followed Maitland-Niles career know that he has an unexpected gift for taking penalties.

During his time with Arsenal, the right-back was constantly called upon to step up during penalty shoot-outs and scored every time, consistently demonstrating an incredible composure from the spot.

Maitland-Niles only missed his first penalty last season for Lyon after he was denied by Yehvann Diouf, but he remains a secretly dependable taker.

In fact, his first goal for the French side came when he saw off unbelievable pressure to fire home from the spot against Brest in 2024 in the 116th minute, winning a game that had been poised at 3-3.