‘What a player’… Alexandre Lacazette praises 26-year-old who Arsenal released

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Alexandre Lacazette has now sent a message to Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who Arsenal released in 2023.

The 32-year-old made the comments on Instagram.

So, what did Alexandre Lacazette say about Arsenal academy graduate Ainsley Maitland-Niles? Let’s take a look…

Alexandre Lacazette sends message to Ainsley Maitland-Niles

Well, the pair made 73 appearances together for Arsenal before reuniting at Lyon last summer, averaging 1.75 points per game while combining for just a single goal.

Lacazette and Maitland-Niles have endured a tough time with the French giants for most of the current campaign, as Lyon spent most of the season in the relegation zone.

Now – however – the Ligue 1 side have just secured their third win in a row to lift them into 11th, and spirits are clearly high within the camp.

Maitland-Niles took to Instagram to write “ANOTHER WIN!!!!!! LETS GO GONES” after Lyon secured a 1-0 victory over OGC Nice on Friday evening.

In response to his teammate’s post, Lacazette wrote: “Foftyyyyy. What a player 😍😍😍”.

Clearly, the France international thinks very highly of the 26-year-old, who is finally starting to find his feet after a difficult end to his time at Arsenal.

How things ended for Ainsley Maitland-Niles at Arsenal

Arsenal released the England international back in June 2023 after his contract expired, although the Hale End graduate made it explicitly clear he felt unwanted before that happened.

Maitland-Niles famously took to Instagram to ask Mikel Arteta to let him go, stating that he was keen to join a club where he felt “wanted” in a dramatic statement.

The man from Goodmayes ended up spending the last season of his contract with Arsenal on loan at Southampton, where he suffered relegation to the Championship.

Therefore, it is nice to see Maitland-Niles settled at Lyon and enjoying his football once again, following a tough period for the Londoner.