The Arsenal manager responded emphatically to speculation surrounding the 19-year-old before the Premier League opener against Coventry City.
Mikel Arteta has moved to end speculation over Myles Lewis-Skelly‘s future, insisting he is “100 per cent” confident the teenager will remain an Arsenal player when the transfer window closes.
The Arsenal manager gave the clearest indication yet that the 19-year-old Hale End graduate is not for sale, delivering an unequivocal response when asked about Lewis-Skelly’s future ahead of Friday night’s Premier League opener against Coventry City.
Recent reports have linked Lewis-Skelly with interest from Chelsea, while Manchester United have also been credited with a long-standing admiration for the midfielder.
At one point, it was even claimed he had been offered to both clubs.
However, Arteta’s comments make Arsenal’s position clear.
Asked directly whether Lewis-Skelly would still be at the club after the transfer window shuts, Arteta replied: “100 per cent.”
The Arsenal manager also underlined the importance of academy graduates to the club, explaining that players who have come through Hale End bring qualities that cannot easily be replicated.
He said those players have a unique “love and connection” to Arsenal and stressed that the club must protect them, continue their development and ensure they become important figures within the first-team squad.
“I mean, the players that have been raised in our system and they feel generally that love and that connection with the club, it brings something else,” Arteta said.
Ethan Nwaneri, however, is likely to go out on loan.
“There is no question about that, and we need to look after them in a really special way because they bring value that is very difficult to find.
“That’s why, when we can, we want to protect those assets as much as possible, develop them and make them extremely important for the club. “
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