Arsenal Open to Selling Academy Stars Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri
Arsenal’s title defence is already being shaped as much by the balance sheet as the tactics board – and two of the club’s brightest academy hopes now sit right at the heart of that tension.
Club CEO Tim Lewis-Garlick has admitted he will not rule out the possibility of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri leaving the Emirates this summer, with Arsenal under pressure to sell before they can properly attack the final weeks of the transfer window.
Arteta’s side have so far moved with restraint in the market. Christos Tzolis and Bruno Guimaraes have arrived to strengthen a squad that ended last season as champions, but the manager still wants more. A new defender to cover the injured William Saliba is on the list, as is another attacker. To fund that, homegrown talent may have to pay the price.
Right now, Nwaneri looks the likeliest to go. The 17-year-old was left out of the matchday squad for Sunday’s Community Shield win over Manchester City, a notable omission for a player long tipped as one of the jewels of Hale End.
Lewis-Skelly, by contrast, was front and centre. Stationed at the heart of Arsenal’s midfield, the England youth international delivered a composed, eye-catching display that only intensified the noise around him. He has since been linked with a £45 million move, with Manchester United and Chelsea both circling.
Speaking to the BBC, Garlick made it clear Arsenal are not actively pushing either teenager towards the exit – but he also made no attempt to pretend they are off the market.
“I think Myles has had a fantastic end to last season and he’s started this season really well and we are very very happy with him,” he said. “Ethan’s had a great pre-season as well and it’s just a case of looking at what opportunities there are that will help both of those players in terms of their careers moving forwards but we are not actively looking at selling those homegrown players.
“If the right opportunity came up and it was right for them and it was right for the club then we’d obviously consider that.”
The message is blunt: Arsenal will listen. The club’s commitment to its academy remains strong, but in a market where elite teenagers can command huge fees, sentiment has its limits.
Garlick stressed the pride inside the club at the production line that has already delivered so many first-team contributors – and now Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri.
“We obviously believe in our academy and have been very successful with the players that have come through that academy, Myles and Ethan being two of those,” he added. “Everybody loves to see those homegrown players coming through and pulling on the shirt and contributing to the success of the team.
“It’s not something that we aim to just sell only homegrown players, as I say trading players is something that comes up all the time. There’s been a lot of speculation surrounding players. I can’t stop other clubs being interested in our players.”
That interest is not going away. With Arsenal still hunting a defender and an attacker, and rival giants hovering with serious money, the next few weeks will reveal whether Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri are future pillars of Arteta’s project – or the sacrifices that fund its next evolution.
