Mikel Arteta has delivered a definitive response to mounting speculation over Myles Lewis-Skelly’s future, insisting the teenage midfielder will remain at Arsenal when the transfer window closes on September 1.
Mikel Arteta is 100% confident Myles-Lewis Skelly will stay at Arsenal
Arteta: “100 Per Cent” Certain Lewis-Skelly Stays at Arsenal
Asked directly at his pre-match press conference whether he was confident the 19-year-old would still be an Arsenal player beyond the deadline, the Gunners boss replied without hesitation: “100 per cent”.
Lewis-Skelly has attracted significant interest throughout the summer, with Chelsea making an enquiry earlier in the window and Manchester United registering long-term admiration for the Hale End graduate.
The teenager started Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in May and has since featured in every pre-season match in his preferred midfield role, impressing in last weekend’s Community Shield victory over Manchester City.
Arteta stressed that homegrown players bring value beyond what any transfer fee could represent.
“The players that have been raised in our system and genuinely feel that love and connection with the club bring something else,”
“There is no question about that. We need to look after them in a really special way because they bring value that is very difficult to find”.
Speculation had intensified partly due to suggestions that selling an academy product would count as pure profit under financial regulations.
But Arteta made clear the club’s priority is protecting its young talent. “That’s why, when we can, we want to protect those assets as much as possible,” he said.
“Develop them and make them extremely important for the club”.
Arsenal open their Premier League title defence against Coventry City on Friday night, with Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice both fit and available.
