Myles Lewis-Skelly’s future at Arsenal remains up in the air, though the player himself has no desire to depart from the Emirates Stadium.
Ian Wright has expressed concern that Lewis-Skelly could move on from Arsenal during the current transfer window. The Gunners midfielder finds himself in a somewhat precarious position regarding his future at the club, as Andrea Berta aims to generate additional revenue. The Sporting Director has invested close to £400million since assuming control in summer 2025, yet has only managed to recoup approximately £50million.
Earlier this month, football.london reported exclusively that Chelsea and Manchester United were presented with the opportunity to acquire Lewis-Skelly. Sources indicate that should Arsenal receive an attractive bid, those making decisions at the Emirates Stadium would struggle to reject it.
Arsenal chief executive Richard Garlick later addressed this situation during a conversation with the BBC. He stated that while the club is not actively seeking to offload the Hale End academy graduate, they would consider offers if the circumstances were appropriate.
According to football.london, despite willingness from club hierarchy to sanction a sale, Lewis-Skelly has no intention of leaving Arsenal and continues to concentrate on his performances on the pitch. During his appearance on the Stick to Football podcast, Wright questioned the reasoning behind Arsenal’s apparent willingness to part with the player.
The Arsenal legend observed that he was unaware of where these transfer stories were originating, stating his belief that they were not coming from the player’s representatives or family. He noted that Arsenal supporters should relax regarding suggestions that the player’s mother was actively promoting him to other clubs. Wright highlighted that Lewis-Skelly has publicly expressed his contentment, and questioned why Arsenal had not simply announced he was unavailable for transfer. He acknowledged that the England international would represent an excellent acquisition for Manchester United given his current form.
Wright expressed concern about Arsenal’s current approach to transfers involving intermediaries. He questioned how such stories could emerge when the player has indicated his desire to remain and his happiness at the club.
The former striker also noted that while Martinelli has received no communication from the club regarding his future, his name continues to appear in numerous transfer reports, questioning who was responsible for these suggestions.
Wright further questioned the apparent contradiction between Arsenal’s pursuit of high-profile signings while simultaneously looking to sell existing players. He acknowledged that with a large squad, departures were inevitable, but noted a pattern of players leaving for Turkish clubs. He expressed frustration that academy products who break into the first team often face pressure to be sold for profit.
Regarding Ethan Nwaneri, Wright mentioned hearing that the club now intended to loan him out rather than sell, which he welcomed given that the player had not been given an extended opportunity to establish himself in the starting lineup. He concluded that when a player of Lewis-Skelly’s quality is performing well, other clubs will naturally explore possibilities, pointing to recent examples of players joining rivals. He emphasised that Lewis-Skelly wishes to stay, which left him puzzled as to why Arsenal have not simply declared him unavailable for transfer.