Mikel Arteta says he is “100 per cent” certain Arsenal’s homegrown player Myles Lewis-Skelly will be staying at the club this summer.
Lewis-Skelly has been rumoured to be of interest to rival clubs, including Manchester United, having played a key role for the Gunners in central midfield at the back end of last season’s title-winning campaign.
Asked how sure he was that the 19-year-old would remain an Arsenal player beyond the transfer deadline, the manager said: “100 per cent.”
Winger Ethan Nwaneri has also been linked with a move away, but Arteta stressed the club need to nurture their academy products. “They bring something else,” he said. “We need to look after them in a special way and protect them.”
Arsenal begin their Premier League title defence with the visit of newly promoted Coventry City to the Emirates Stadium on Friday evening.
The Gunners have already added winger Christos Tzolis and midfielder Bruno Guimaraes to their squad, and Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa is set to be next in a £50m deal which could see him dropped straight into Arteta’s team, if not for Coventry then for Arsenal’s next game – away at Villa.
Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are both fit and available to face Coventry after starting on the bench for the Community Shield victory over Manchester City last weekend, having only recently returned to training after the World Cup.
Bruno Guimaraes finished the game with ice strapped to his leg and Arteta could not confirm whether the Brazilian would play. “Let’s see how he is. He’s evolving really well.”
Jurrien Timber is still not back in first-team training, while William Saliba remains a long-term absentee with a back injury.
more to follow…
