Arsenal have not had the best of luck in recent years when it comes to selling players for actual money, with a number of players leaving north London for nothing.
The likes of Mesut Ozil, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are just a few of the high-profile names who Arsenal signed for big money only to allow them to leave for nothing for one reason or another.
Indeed, this trend extends to many more player categories, such as academy graduates and club icons who made a real lasting impact at Arsenal before being let go for pennies or sometimes even nothing at the end of a season.
And this weekend saw one of these players released by Arteta go viral for a quite brilliant moment.
Former Arsenal star Ainsley Maitland-Niles goes viral after last-minute Lyon penalty
Few would have thought Ainsley Maitland-Niles of all former Arsenal players would have a heroic moment this season, yet the versatile midfield did just that for Olympique Lyonnais against Brest.
With the game tied at 3-3 in the 106th-minute, Maitland-Niles stepped up for Lyon to score a last-second penalty to secure a massive win for the French giants and register his first goal of the season for his new club.
Once lauded by Arteta as a ‘huge talent’, Maitland-Niles has been going quietly about his business in France this season since joining Lyon as a free agent after being released by Arsenal, where the five-time England international didn’t fit in the club’s current plans.
And with Maitland-Niles now enjoying a viral moment, a bigger spotlight could be put on the fullback’s performances for Lyon, where the 26-year-old could now become a star player for the French giants.
Arsenal fans will be pleased to see former player thriving
Maitland-Niles remains one of the great ‘what ifs’ for Arsenal fans, with the versatile midfielder showing extreme promise as a fullback under Arteta before clashes between the two saw the 26-year-old’s career head in another direction.
Yet that is why Arsenal supporters will now be pleased to see Maitland-Niles doing well in France with Lyon, with his first viral moment something the England international has more than deserved.
The former Hale End academy star will always have a special place in the hearts of Arsenal fans, and Maitland-Niles will hope he can create more moments of magic before the end of the season for Lyon.