Analysis: What Maitland-Niles will offer Mourinho's side

Roma's capture of Ainsley Maitland-Niles on loan from Arsenal is an understandable piece of business that will reinforce the squad for what will be a crucial second half of the season.

Capable of operating in a variety of roles, his ability to play as a full-back on either side, at wing-back, as a winger, in defensive midfield or in a more offensively minded midfield post will give Jose Mourinho plenty of tactical flexibility when weighing up his options and who he needs to deploy where.

In addition, considering all the injuries Roma have endured this season in so many areas, the versatile Maitland-Niles' acquisition is a very sensible transfer to provide vital cover and squad depth.

It must be said, however, the 24-year-old does prefer playing in midfield, but is happy playing wherever to help his team.

“I’m a midfielder by trade, either central or on the wing, but it’s all the same to me," he said last season.

"[Playing at wing-back] is something I’m learning and have been learning for a couple of years now. It’s not going to come overnight, but I’m trying my best for the team and for the manager. It’s not where I would choose to put myself in the team, as I’m an attacking player."

The man who joined the Arsenal academy aged six has unquestionably improved substantially as a wing-back since then, however, going on to play an instrumental role for Mikel Arteta's Gunners when they won the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2020.

His form during this period even earned him his first senior international call up, where he went onto make his debut in England's draw against Denmark.

Roma's clear need right now is cover on the right flank but, no matter where he plays, there's no doubting Maitland-Niles is an excellent footballer who'll be able to make a valuable contribution during his time with Roma.

Developing the defensive side of his game over the years working under many adept managers in the form of Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery and Arteta, his aptitude here should see him have little issue adhering to the meticulous Mourinho's demands.

A tenacious and successful presser, the way he uses his acceleration and stamina to persistently place his targets under duress is a highlight.

Harrying with conviction, in combination with how he responds to triggers like a back or sideways pass or an opponent receiving in an open body posture, adds to his effectiveness.

It also deserves mention how he curves his pressing to block passing lanes behind him, which comes in handy to force opponents into errors or poor decisions due to their options being reduced.

His pace comes in handy when tracking runners in behind or from midfield too, allowing him to keep up with foes or recover his position so he's better placed to deal with threats.

Being efficient at reading danger helps him here as well, for he's usually alert to what's going on around him.

Maitland-Niles' speed is also crucial when rushing back to support a teammate, slowing down counter attacks while his team reorganises themselves and when faced with 1v1 scenarios. To focus on the latter, and he's certainly improved in dealing with battles against skillful wingers, which was underlined by his efforts nullifying Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez in Arsenal's FA Cup semi final win in 2020 and when keeping Liverpool and former Roma star Mohamed Salah quiet during the Gunners' Community Shield triumph.

Full of athleticism, able to time his pressure and challenges neatly, he certainly joins Roma as a well-rounded defensive player, who's matured over time to maintain his focus and limit the mistakes.

Meanwhile, in terms of his offensive output, his movement is a great place to start. Courtesy of his capacity to fulfil many roles, he's understandably proficient at identifying spaces to explore.

Reading the game and situations well, he's adept at generating overloads wide and centrally, pinning or drawing markers to create space or opening passing lanes and picking his moments when to drive forward.

When operating at wingback under Arteta especially, it was notable how he'd execute slick rotations either into midfield or with his nearby winger to cause marking dilemmas for opponents on who should be marking him. Be it surging forward on searing overlaps, embarking on clever underlapping runs after an interchange or dropping into midfield to give the Gunners an extra number and structural stability, his awareness, relationships with teammates and tactical knowledge has shone.

Competent with the ball at his feet and boasting a solid first touch, Maitland-Niles is no slouch carrying the ball upfield or unbalancing foes with feints and shrewd alterations in pace and direction. Registering roughly 3.50 dribbles per 90 and completing 1.25 progressive runs p90 over the last two seasons demonstrates his value here.

Upon looking at his passing, Maitland-Niles is composed in possession and assesses his options coherently, which means he recirculates possession crisply and switches the angle of attacks while waiting for a weakness in the opposition block to arise.

If the expansive options do arise, he's shown he can importantly take them by striking some raking through balls, engaging in sharp combination play or hitting line breaking passes into the feet of his attackers.

Although he's not the most creative outlet, his crossing qualities enable him to put teammates in promising positions to score, which is a key reason why he's averaged 0.60 shot assists p90 over the last two campaigns.

Wanting a fresh start after falling out of favour with Arteta and struggling to truly cement himself as a starter, Maitland-Niles, who incredibly made his professional Arsenal debut over seven years ago, will relish the chance to link up with Roma.

With the current Giallorossi squad featuring two fellow Englishmen in Chris Smalling and Tammy Abraham, a former Arsenal teammate in Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mourinho as coach, who's extremely familiar with the Premier League, this should all help him integrate smoothly.

Joining with nearly 200 senior appearances under his belt for club and country and desperate for first-team action, Maitland-Niles is set to feature prominently over the next six months with the busy schedule ahead.

All in all, bringing in the talented utility player - especially so early in the window - is a mark of the clear thinking from Roma's recruitment team this month.

Follow Edward Stratmann on Twitter: @EdwardStratmann