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OL ended the summer transfer window with only one natural right-back, Ainsley Maitland-Niles. The Englishman was later joined by Hans Hateboer, signed on loan as a medical joker. Paulo Fonseca was even forced to field Ruben Kluivert on the right flank against PSG when Maitland-Niles was unavailable and the Dutchman had not yet arrived at the club.
The right side of OL’s defence is a weakness, with Hans Hateboer no longer at the required level for many months, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles blowing hot and cold — alternating between very good and very poor performances — which has understandably frustrated a large section of the supporters. The issue with the 28-year-old full-back lies more in his attitude and overall commitment than in his intrinsic talent.
With the Dutchman’s loan expiring at the end of the season, the Englishman will be the only natural right-back available at the club. And although recruiting a right-footed centre-back could provide occasional cover on the right, this solution feels more like temporary patchwork than a truly reliable plan.
The short- and medium-term solution would therefore be to sign a dependable full-back who can provide genuine competition for Ainsley Maitland-Niles and push him to raise his level in the battle for a starting spot.
Maitland-Niles is a very complete full-back. Trained as a midfielder, he is capable in both attack and defence. The ideal profile would be someone just as well-rounded as the Englishman, but with an extra touch of desire and aggressiveness: