Arsenal has decided what to do about selling Myles Lewis-Skelly as Mikel Arteta sets a firm rule.
Arsenal have made a clear decision not to sell Myles Lewis-Skelly this summer, despite interest from Manchester United.
Lewis-Skelly, who came through Arsenal’s academy, can play as a left-back or in central midfield. He broke into the first team at the start of the 2024/25 season and has made 75 appearances in all competitions. He even earned his first England cap under manager Thomas Tuchel.
Last season, though, Lewis-Skelly found it hard to get much playing time, as Arsenal strengthened their defense and midfield. He was often on the bench and sometimes didn’t get on the pitch. The 19-year-old also missed out on England’s World Cup squad. Tuchel praised him but said it’s not enough to just be a “good tourist” in the team.
Recently, The Independent reported that Manchester United showed interest in signing Lewis-Skelly, possibly as a backup option because Newcastle consider their player Lewis Hall “untouchable.” United are known to admire the Arsenal youngster, and since Arsenal could potentially sell him without financial issues, there was hope a deal might happen.
Even though Arsenal and United are fierce rivals, they have made transfers between each other before, like Robin van Persie and Alexis Sanchez. But the idea of United signing one of Arsenal’s top young talents is tough for Gunners fans to accept. Luckily, according to Football Insider, Arsenal plans to keep Lewis-Skelly and will reject any offers from Premier League rivals.
This shows how much Arsenal have grown under manager Mikel Arteta. In the past, they couldn’t always refuse interest from big clubs like Manchester City or United. Now, they’re confident about holding onto key players and will look to fund their summer moves in other ways.
So far, Arsenal have spent £35 million on Greek winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge. They’ve also had a bid of around £75 million accepted by Newcastle for their captain Bruno Guimaraes.
There’s also a big focus on signing Vinicius Junior. The 26-year-old winger hasn’t agreed to a new contract with Real Madrid yet, and Arsenal are interested. Vinicius recently met with Real Madrid officials, who told him Arsenal’s interest is serious. If he moves to London, he would be one of the highest-paid players in the Premier League. Arsenal are reportedly ready to offer him a very impressive contract compared to their usual wages.