Ian Wright has expressed his worries about the chatter surrounding a potential sale of Myles Lewis-Skelly, calling on Arsenal to make a transparent declaration about the future of their academy product. The former striker is concerned that the financial attractiveness of selling the young midfielder could be affecting the club's decisions.
In recent weeks, there has been intense speculation regarding the 19-year-old midfielder amid reports linking him with moves to Manchester United and Chelsea. Lewis-Skelly himself is reportedly content with his situation at the club and is eager to fight for his place in Mikel Arteta's side.
Wright stressed that any notion of a transfer is unlikely to be coming from Lewis-Skelly or his camp:
I don’t understand where this is coming from because I know for a fact: the information is not coming from his agents or his mum. Arsenal fans need to calm down and stop saying that his mum is trying to get Myles out of the club.
Myles has already stated that he’s happy to stay. So why doesn’t Arsenal just say that he’s not for sale? Of course, it would be a fantastic signing for Manchester United. Just look at how he plays.
The Arsenal legend also raised concerns about transfer rumours surrounding players who do not wish to leave the club, citing Gabriel Martinelli as another example:
Something's happening, and this is what worries me about Arsenal’s handling of these situations — how things are being communicated with intermediaries. Where are these stories coming from when we know for certain that the player and his entourage are happy and want to stay? No one from the club has been in touch with Martinelli, yet he’s being linked everywhere. Who is saying this? Why is it happening?
Wright further questioned claims that Arsenal needs to conduct a significant sale before making further moves in the transfer market:
You know what perplexes me? How can we be in the running for Vinicius Junior, ready to break records for his signature, while now seemingly desperate to sell? What is going on?
We have a big squad, and someone has to move on. But it feels like everyone leaving Arsenal ends up going to Turkey.
Wright highlighted that Lewis-Skelly's status as an academy graduate makes him an especially lucrative asset for the club when it comes to transfer income:
Unfortunately, when an academy player comes through and performs at such a level, there’s always this narrative about the potential profit from his sale.
The same goes for Ethan Nwaneri. I’m hearing they’re not looking to sell him but want to send him out on loan. I’m glad about that because, in my opinion, he hasn’t been given enough chances to showcase his talent in the first team.
When you have a player like Myles, who is playing excellently and showing incredible promise, of course, Manchester United will be trying to see if they can make something happen.
They see Bruno Guimaraes has come in, they see Declan Rice. But Myles doesn’t want to leave. This is why I absolutely don’t understand why Arsenal won’t just say: he’s not for sale.
