Ainsley Maitland-Niles denied Arsenal exit despite Instagram deadline day plea amid Everton interest – Paper Round

Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ Instagram story said “All I wanna do is go where I'm wanted” on Monday, but the Daily Mail claim he will not be leaving Arsenal before Tuesday’s deadline. An Everton loan had looked to be on the cards for the right-back, who also plays in midfield, but Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has told the player – who is eager to get his career back on track – to stay and fight for his place in the side.

Paper Round’s view: Just let him go. It doesn’t look like that will happen, of course, but evidently Maitland-Niles is so disheartened by the situation that he felt the need to address it publicly on social media. Not often you see that, and if a player is taking to drastic circumstances, it could get a little more desperate on deadline day. A drive to Goodison Park, perhaps?

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Manchester United only made their move for Cristiano Ronaldo as they could not bear the prospect of the Portugal captain signing for Manchester City, the Manchester Evening News reports. Ronaldo only had an offer from City on the table as of Friday morning, but as they backed away from their interest, United – thanks to the help of former manager Sir Alex Ferguson and former players Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand – emerged as the frontrunners before confirming the move later on Friday.

Paper Round’s view: Plenty has been written about this 11th hour move for Ronaldo and how it could potentially pan out. Only time will tell, of course. He’ll score goals, few doubt that, but just how it impacts United’s balance and the development of Mason Greenwood remains to be seen. Hopefully playing with Ronaldo will help the England youngster no end.

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After Ruben Dias signed a new Manchester City contract until 2027, The Times report goalkeeper Ederson is close to following suit. Ederson’s agent is Jorge Mendes, the man who masterminded Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United, and it is believed City want to reward their No 1 with a bumper new deal despite the fact he has four years left on his current contract. Ederson kept 19 clean sheets as City won the Premier League last season.

Paper Round’s view: Four years left and a new deal on the way. Another Mendes masterstroke? Ederson is certainly a keeper, but with four years remaining this was hardly a pressing concern for City. Either way, at 28, the club clearly feel the need to make the Brazilian feel wanted as he could end up being their first choice for the best part of a decade – and quite easily longer.

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Jesse Lingard impressed on his loan spell at West Ham during the second half of last season, and the Daily Mail report the club are hopeful of signing the midfielder on loan once more from Manchester United. Lingard is back in the England fold but he is unlikely to get many minutes in Manchester this season, despite his form last year in London, and now it appears the Hammers are hoping to convince the player to move in able to retain his place in the international setup after getting a call-up for September’s matches.

Paper Round’s view: Lingard’s in a tough position given his love for Manchester United, but he thrilled and surprised us all at West Ham last season. As the hours pass by on deadline day, he will surely be pondering his future at Manchester United, and the likelihood of how much he’ll play, so perhaps there will be a last-minute change of heart – one which would surely benefit all parties involved.