West Ham United are still basking in their recent Europa Conference League triumph, but they cannot afford to sit still when it comes to adding new players to their squad this summer.
Declan Rice appears certain to leave, while David Moyes could do with freshening up other areas after what was a disappointing domestic campaign, albeit one that ended on the highest of notes thanks to their continental success.
What is the latest West Ham United transfer news?
West Ham could ideally do with bringing in a new central midfielder to offset Rice's departure for a fee of potentially £100m, but that is not to say other players will not be heading to the London Stadium in the coming weeks.
According to Fussball Transfers, West Ham are working hard to bring in Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who is available on a free transfer after being released by Arsenal.
Maitland-Niles is a player who has top-flight experience in the Premier League and also in Serie A with Roma during an albeit forgettable loan spell, while his previous wages of £35k-per-week, according to Capology, should not be too much of a problem when it comes to negotiations.
What could be more troublesome is that teams from the Championship – and therefore more of a guarantee of regular action – plus Germany and Turkey are circling.
What could Ainsley Maitland-Niles bring to West Ham?
First and foremost, Maitland-Niles is a very versatile player, as he showed last season when effectively playing in six different positions during his time on loan with Southampton.
The 25-year-old was used all across the back four, at wing-back, holding midfield and attacking midfield. It is at right-back he was predominantly used, as per WhoScored, and that is likely where Moyes would utilise him at West Ham.
Vladimir Coufal would be the fall guy should that be the case, with the Czech midfielder coming off the back of a rather mixed 2022-23 campaign. After a really tough first half to the season, Coufal improved and helped write his name in club folklore by playing his part in their European triumph.
However, the soon-to-be 31-year-old, who was described as an "old timer" by The Guardian reporter Jacob Steinberg last season, could be one of those in which Moyes is targeting an upgrade.
Maitland-Niles is stronger defensively than Coufal, highlighted by the fact he won more tackles per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season (1.54 v 1.31) and blocked the ball more often (1.79 v 1.01).
While Coufal did come out on top for percentage of aerial duels won (64.5 v 57.7), Maitland-Niles was far superior in terms of successful take-ons (1.09 per 90 v 0.13) and pass-completion rate (79.2% v 62.2%).
Indeed, Maitland-Niles is ranked in the top 17% of all defenders across Europe's top five leagues for defensive actions, as per The Analyst, whereas Coufal is in the bottom 31%.
That is not to say Coufal does not have his own qualities, some of which have already been highlighted, but the former Saints loanees can bring defensive stability while also having the ability to attack and play in multiple positions.
As Arsenal writer Pedro from Le Grove told Hammers News, Maitland-Niles is an "immense" player who was "one of the best athletes at Arsenal".
The England international's two-decade association with the Gunners may have now come to an end, but an exciting new chapter could well await across London at West Ham.