In an interview with Arsenal's official website, Lyon player and former Arsenal stalwart Maitland-Niles, who was with the team for the Emirates Cup, shared his feelings about his new life in France and his anticipation for his upcoming return to London for the Emirates Cup.
Speaking about his feelings at Lyon, Maitland-Niles said, "Lyon feels like home now. The adaptation process was a bit slow at the beginning of the season, but luckily we found our rhythm around Christmas and I started to get consecutive appearances, which made me feel like I belonged very quickly." He singled out former teammate Alexandre Lacazette for his support, "Lacazette has helped me a lot here, it's always a relief to see familiar faces and his presence has helped me to integrate into the team more quickly."
Regarding his French language skills, Maitland-Niles admits that he is still working on it, "I'm not very good at French yet and I can't do interviews fluently yet, but I'm trying to learn and I hope to get to that level soon. There are some English-speaking players on the team and we learn from each other, I teach them English and they teach me French, it's a fun exchange."
Reflecting on the French Cup loss, Maitland-Niles showed maturity, "It's a bit of a shame that we didn't make it to the Champions League, but we're much more goal oriented and focused this year, and we're going to try to take advantage of every opportunity that comes our way." As for the stoppage time killer penalty he contributed to the game, he modestly said, "I just followed my penalty routine, tried to stay calm and it was a great feeling to win the game for the team."
Speaking about the decision to leave Arsenal, Maitland-Niles said it was a mature and necessary choice: "Having spent 16 years at Arsenal, I know how soccer works. Sometimes it's better to let go than to move on. Arsenal means a lot to me, but I also need to look for new challenges. My contract is up and Lyon is a good option for me."
Finally, talking about the upcoming Emirates Cup and what it will be like to return to London, Maitland-Niles is looking forward to it, "I remember the first time I played in the Emirates Cup a long time ago, when I was a teenager. To be back in London again, to see the fans and former teammates and members of the coaching staff, it's going to be a very special game and I'm looking forward to meeting Arsenal."
