Myles Lewis-Skelly: Arsenal's Rising Star Faces Uncertain Future

Myles Lewis-Skelly has not kicked a competitive ball this season and already he is one of the stories of the summer.

A year ago, the 19-year-old looked like the future of Arsenal’s left flank. In his breakthrough 2024-25 campaign, he surged from academy prospect to one of the Premier League’s standout young full-backs, forcing his way into the England squad and becoming the youngest player ever to score on his Three Lions debut. Arsenal moved quickly, handing the Hale End graduate a new five-year deal the following summer.

Then the picture changed.

From rising star to third choice

Last season, Lewis-Skelly slipped down Mikel Arteta’s pecking order at left-back, overtaken by Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie. A player who had looked untouchable suddenly found himself as the third option in his adopted position.

Inside the club, the conversation shifted. By April, Arsenal were prepared to at least listen. Club sources indicated they would look to recoup a minimum combined £100m for Lewis-Skelly and fellow academy talent Ethan Nwaneri if the right offers arrived.

Yet just as it seemed the door might be opening for a sale, Lewis-Skelly dragged it back towards him.

Arteta moved him into his natural role in central midfield and the teenager responded with an impressive end-of-season surge. That spell in the middle of the pitch has complicated Arsenal’s internal debate and may have forced a rethink over his status in this window.

Pre-season reminder

This summer, Lewis-Skelly has not gone quietly. He has been one of Arsenal’s standout performers in pre-season and has started their last two friendlies as the Gunners build towards Sunday’s Community Shield against Manchester City.

The timing helps him. Several senior midfielders have returned late from the World Cup, while £75m signing Bruno Guimaraes is still settling into his new surroundings after arriving from Newcastle United. That has left space in the middle of the park, and Lewis-Skelly has stepped into it with purpose.

There is a real chance he makes another push to become a genuine first-team regular.

United and Chelsea circle – but no green light yet

On Tuesday, headlines suggested that push might come somewhere else. Two Premier League clubs are reported to be interested, with Manchester United and Chelsea both said to have been offered the chance to sign him.

One source told BBC Sport that Lewis-Skelly was offered to United in January. Arsenal insist they have not actively put him on the market for anyone.

United’s need is obvious. They require a left-back. Patrick Dorgu, their most recent signing in that position, has been used almost exclusively in an advanced role in pre-season. After Michael Carrick took charge, Dorgu’s Premier League minutes came on the wing or in wide attacking areas, while Luke Shaw started every league game last season but carries a patchy fitness record.

United have also been linked with Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, but privately accept that deal would be extremely difficult, especially after the departures of Sandro Tonali and Guimaraes from St James’ Park. If United did move for Lewis-Skelly, they could use him either as a left-back or in the third midfield role that still divides opinion internally. The sense around Old Trafford, though, is that they would prefer a more natural full-back to compete directly for a starting spot.

Chelsea find themselves in a similar position. They say they too have been offered Lewis-Skelly, while Arsenal again maintain they have not offered the player to any club.

On paper, Chelsea are already well stocked. Jorrel Hato and new signing Pep Chavarria cover left-back, and with no European football this season, fixture congestion will not be an issue. That makes a third specialist left-back an unlikely purchase. Central midfield is crowded as well, with six options currently on the books, even if Enzo Fernandez could be sold and Dario Essugo is a candidate for a loan.

Without significant outgoings, Chelsea are not expected to move seriously for Lewis-Skelly.

Player wants Arsenal, Arsenal want flexibility

Through all of this, Lewis-Skelly’s stance has been consistent. He wants to stay. He is focused on forcing his way into Arteta’s plans and establishing himself as a regular at the Emirates.

The challenge is obvious. Arsenal have just invested heavily in Guimaraes, a marquee £75m arrival who will expect to start most games. His presence, combined with the returning internationals, threatens Lewis-Skelly’s minutes. At the same time, with Arsenal fighting on multiple fronts and facing another packed schedule, there is still a realistic pathway to the game time the youngster craves.

The club’s broader transfer strategy complicates matters. Arsenal spent £250m on eight players last summer and have already pushed past £100m in this window, with plans to add more before the deadline. To balance that, they are open to sales.

Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli would be available at the right price. Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson are not in Arteta’s long-term plans. Christian Norgaard has already joined Everton for £7m and Leandro Trossard has moved to Besiktas for around £15m. Arsenal know they must stay nimble as the window ticks towards its close.

The “pure profit” dilemma

Lewis-Skelly sits right at the heart of that calculation. As an academy graduate, any fee for him would be recorded as pure profit in the traditional sense of football accounting. He knows it too. When Arsenal celebrated their title win at Selhurst Park on the final day of last season, he posted a picture with the Premier League trophy and the caption: “pure profit”.

That line used to carry a brutal financial truth. Sell an academy product and the club could book the entire fee immediately, a clean boost to the bottom line.

The new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) rules have changed the equation. Under SCR, income from player sales is now spread evenly across the length of the sold player’s contract, rather than landing in a single hit. The days of an instant windfall from an academy sale are gone. For Lewis-Skelly and Arsenal, that softens the financial incentive to cash in quickly.

So the situation hangs in the balance. There is no sign of an imminent move, no agreement in place, no late-night medical being pencilled in. Yet there is also no guarantee that the teenager’s future lies at the Emirates.

For a player who has already lived a full career’s worth of twists in two seasons, the next few weeks may prove the most decisive of all.