Arsenal’s Lewis-Skelly makes pointed gesture missed by TV cameras

Myles Lewis-Skelly gave a pointed response to transfer speculation with his celebration on Wednesday, including a gesture the TV cameras didn’t catch.

Myles Lewis-Skelly scored Arsenal’s opening goal in Wednesday’s friendly win over Como 1907, and he could be seen celebrating with his hands together, followed by holding a heart sign up to the fans.

Those two gestures were both in the TV broadcast, but the video stream missed what happened next.

While supporters at home were watching replays of the goal, fan footage shows that Lewis-Skelly turned back to the crowd and tapped the Arsenal badge a total of 16 times, before blowing a kiss.

For those who didn’t catch it live, Lewis-Skelly shared a picture of the gesture on his Instagram page after the game.

Lewis-Skelly had been linked with a potential move to Chelsea or Manchester United earlier in the week, but both Arsenal and the player’s camp deny involvement in offering the player to their big-six rivals.

It seems the offer was made by intermediaries, though it’s unclear on whose authority those intermediaries were acting.

Speaking after the game, Mikel Arteta said: “It’s good to be emotional after scoring, you should be emotional when you score a goal.

“He’s a very emotional player, you see with his gestures on the pitch. I’m not going to talk about speculation – if there is speculation about our players, it’s a good sign – that means our players attract attention and are doing a good job.”

The Athletic claimed this week that Arsenal aren’t exploring a sale, and Lewis-Skelly isn’t exploring a move either. They added that you can never say never, but the Gunners don’t actively want to lose the midfielder.

The 19-year-old has played a key role in pre-season so far, partly due to the late return of many of Arsenal’s more senior midfielders. If he can keep performing well, there’s no reason why Arteta would want to lose him from his squad.

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