Len -- meet troubled Al, maybe (7)
I believe the answer is:
element
'al maybe' is the definition.
(I know that Al is a type of metal)
'len meet troubled' is the wordplay.
'troubled' is an anagram indicator.
'len'+'meet'='lenmeet'
'lenmeet' is an anagram of 'ELEMENT'.
(Other definitions for element that I've seen before include "Constituent -- habitat" , "Fire (or part of one)" , "lead, for example" , "Component - habitat" , "Singular ingredient" .)