--- title: "Tottenham Hotspur: Alan Hutton believes Spurs won’t want to pay £20m for Ainsley Maitland-Niles" canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/tottenham-alan-hutton-doubts-maitland-niles-transfer-rumours/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "Liam Togher" section: "Arsenal Football Club" published: "2020-08-26T16:00:18Z" modified: "2020-08-26T16:00:18Z" --- # Tottenham Hotspur: Alan Hutton believes Spurs won’t want to pay £20m for Ainsley Maitland-Niles **Former Tottenham defender Alan Hutton has voiced his admiration for reported Spurs transfer target [Ainsley Maitland-Niles](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/tottenham-transfer-rumours/tottenham-hotspur-jose-mourinho-targets-ainsley-maitland-niles-to-replace-serge-aurier/) but doubts that the club will sign him in the current window.** Last week, the [Daily Mail](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8646809/Tottenham-set-make-shock-bid-20m-star-Ainsley-Maitland-Niles-rivals-Arsenal.html) reported that Spurs were planning a transfer bid for the player from their north London rivals Arsenal, who value him at £20m but are open to offers for the 22-year-old. The report added that Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho is seeking to bolster his right-back options, with Serge Aurier the [only natural fit for that position](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/tottenham-hotspur/kadernachposition/verein/148) in his current squad. However, with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy warning that the club will not be spending “[rivers of money](https://theboyhotspur.com/no-rivers-of-money-and-question-marks-over-players-match-fitness-says-jose-mourinho/)” in this transfer window, Hutton believes that the Lilywhites will be reluctant to pay the Gunners’ asking price for Maitland-Niles. \[freshpress-quiz id=”298398″\] He told [Football Insider](https://www.footballinsider247.com/exclusive-ex-spur-suggests-real-reason-tottenham-not-signing-maitland-niles/): “I don’t think the rivalry’s as bad as you think nowadays – I think it’s more the fee that’s putting Mourinho off. “£20million for such a young player is maybe putting him off a little bit. I think he is very versatile, he does tick all the boxes, he can play multiple positions, he’s technically good and he’s got a great engine. “It’s an area where Tottenham need to go and spend money on, is right-back. Obviously he’s fancied Aurier but too many mistakes for my liking. He isn’t going to help them get to where they want to be. “I think he (Maitland-Niles) would be a good option but I just probably think the fee’s too big for Tottenham at the moment.” Even with Levy hinting at a frugal transfer window and the player representing their arch-rivals, Hutton’s doubts over Tottenham paying £20m for Maitland-Niles seem surprising. The 22-year-old already has the experience of [100 first team games](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ainsley-maitland-niles/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/285845/verein/11) for Arsenal and [played the entirety of a Europa League final](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/48368406), so he has plenty of previous at a high level of football. Hutton has acknowledged that Spurs are threadbare for right-back options and that Aurier has been [culpable of defensive errors](https://theathletic.co.uk/1337390/2019/10/31/serge-aurier-a-defender-who-needs-to-stop-saying-sorry-and-instead-think-more-carefully-about-his-actions/) in the past, but it’s worth remembering that the Ivorian cost [£23m](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41081740) when they signed him three years ago. With a further [three Champions League campaigns](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/tottenham-hotspur/pokalhistorie/verein/148) under their belt since then and the [prize money which that entails](https://en.as.com/en/2019/09/17/football/1568715726_986830.html), they should certainly be able to part with £20m for a player who is already [established in the Premier League](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ainsley-maitland-niles/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/285845/wettbewerb/GB1/verein/11). \[freshpress-poll id=”315785″\] Also, as Hutton pointed out, Maitland-Niles is capable of operating in numerous roles, having played on both flanks and in the centre of both defence and midfield during his career (as per [TransferMarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ainsley-maitland-niles/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/285845)). Plus, as an alternative to Aurier, he seems a reliable option. The Arsenal man won [1.9 tackles and made 1.3 interceptions](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/255169/Show/Ainsley-Maitland-Niles) per game last season, admittedly inferior to the Ivorian’s [2.7](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/83683/Show/Serge-Aurier) for the former metric but [level with him for the latter](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/83683/Show/Serge-Aurier). Also, the Gunners player is more reliable in possession than Aurier, with his [80.4% passing success rate](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/255169/Show/Ainsley-Maitland-Niles) trumping the 27-year-old’s [79.1%.](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/83683/Show/Serge-Aurier) In a summer transfer window which has seen Brighton value Ben White [at £50m](https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/12418521/ben-white-transfer-leeds-man-utd-liverpool-chelsea/) despite having [never played a Premier League game](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ben-white/detaillierteleistungsdaten/spieler/335721), a fee of £20m for Maitland-Niles seems very reasonable and one that Tottenham should be able to afford and should strongly consider paying. ***Tottenham fans, do you agree with Hutton’s verdict on Maitland-Niles? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below!***