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Arsenal already have the perfect replacement if Hector Bellerin completes the PSG transfer

Arsenal fans don’t want Hector Bellerin to leave. By now, this is obvious. He has been a loyal and reliable servant of the club and almost seems like a fixture in the Emirates nine years after his arrival from Barcelona.

The Spaniard is also only 25 years old, approaching his peak and with aspirations for success.

Bellerin, however, appears to be contemplating his future, understandable given Arsenal’s difficulties in maintaining their position in the Premier League elite over the past two years.

There have been extremely promising signs under Mikel Arteta, but it could be that Bellerin sees her future elsewhere. Paris Saint-Germain is interested, and the allure of Champions League football, national success and regular silverware could prove enticing.

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If Bellerin leaves at some point in the next month, Arteta will have some thoughts to do. Would the reasonable answer be to sign a new right-back, invest in a proven replacement? Or should he turn to a player already at the club?

Ainsley Maitland-Niles is certainly making a strong claim to bridging the potential gap. The 23-year-old finished last season strong and played as a right-back against Liverpool in the Community Shield.

However, there has been speculation about the player’s future. He was heavily linked to moving to Wolves just a few weeks ago, and back then it seemed he was more inclined to leave the club than to stay.

But there has been a dramatic change since then. Bellerin’s potential exit changes that and Maitland-Niles has continued to prove to be a valuable member of the team.

“We are reading a lot of news about our players, which is not bad that other clubs want him, but with Ainsley, he is a player that I have said since joining that I really like,” Arteta said last week.

“The best way to show it is that I played him in the most important matches of the season and he responded very well, so that’s where we are with the player.”

Maitland-Niles was particularly impressive against Liverpool at Wembley, blasting up and down the right flank and looking completely natural in the role. If Arteta intends to continue with a back five, that display will perhaps have done enough to convince him that he has a ready-made wing-back on his hands.

It is not only Arteta who has impressed. Gareth Southgate has chosen Maitland-Niles for his England side ahead of the upcoming Nations League matches, news the Arsenal man deemed “too good to be true”.

It’s a sign of the impact Maitland-Niles has had on a handful of recent performances. His shares have soared in a matter of weeks: from Arsenal support tied to the Wolves to a regular club star and a potential England international.

Obviously, there is still a lot to do for Maitland-Niles if he wants to maintain this level, be a pillar of Arsenal and the national team for the next few years. But it is clearly on the right track.

If Bellerin left for PSG, Arteta might not have too many sleepless nights, and that couldn’t have been said at the beginning of the summer. Maitland-Niles gave the Gunners a sense of security.

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It’s also fitting that his real breakthrough came on his 23rd birthday, a day that included an outstanding performance against Liverpool, lifting a trophy and then getting a message from Southgate.

Maitland-Niles is now looking for regular playing time at this stage in his career. And few would argue that you don’t deserve it.

Even if Bellerin doesn’t decide to leave, he will have a real struggle to keep his place on the team next season.

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