‘I don’t really miss England’ – Lyon’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles on life in France | OneFootball

Ainsley Maitland-Niles (27) has become a prominent figure at Olympique Lyonnais. He has now detailed his integration since making the move to France.

The England international made the move to Lyon on a free transfer upon the expiry of his formative club, Arsenal, in the summer of 2023. Amid the difficulties, firstly under Laurent Blanc and then Fabio Grosso, Maitland-Niles had to bid his time to make a telling impact at his new club.

However, under Pierre Sage, he has risen to prominence and was a consistent performer as OL experienced an extraordinary revival in the second half of the season, taking themselves out of the relegation battle and achieving qualification for the UEFA Europa League, whilst also reaching the Coupe de France final.

‘I don’t really feel lost here anymore’ – Maitland-Niles on life at Lyon

He continues to feature prominently this season, making 12 appearances in all competitions and starting all three of Les Gones’ Europa League fixtures. The Englishman has revealed that he is enjoying life in France as he continues to integrate and learn the culture.

On learning French, he said, “I feel as though my French is coming on slowly. I understand everything football-wise. So from the training sessions, they don’t need to translate for me anymore and in the team talks, I don’t have anyone next to me telling me the English. Understanding the football is the most important thing, so I can help the team,” said the former Arsenal man.

He added, “I don’t really feel lost here any more. I feel at home, I have from quite early on, and I don’t really miss England, to be honest.”

GFFN | Luke Entwistle