Myles Lewis-Skelly's message to Arsenal, swap deal proposal, Mikel Arteta's comments

Myles Lewis-Skelly’s Arsenal future remains up in the air in the final weeks of the summer transfer window

The uncertainty surrounding Myles Lewis-Skelly’s future has been one of the most puzzling and controversial developments at Arsenal this summer.

The 19-year-old endured a difficult time for much of last season, losing his place in the starting eleven and becoming Arsenal’s third-choice left back after Mikel Arteta signed Piero Hincapie. As the campaign wore on and his playing time remained limited, question marks were raised externally over whether the Hale End product still had a future at his boyhood club.

He bounced back emphatically late in the 2025/26 season by returning to the starting line-up in his preferred central midfield position and playing a pivotal role as the Gunners ended their Premier League trophy drought.

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But the backlash from the Arsenal faithful has seemingly been justified, given Lewis-Skelly has started every pre-season game in central midfield and thrived. He showcased his importance once more on Sunday by setting up Riccardo Calafiori’s first-minute Community Shield opener against Manchester City with a sublime through ball.

Message to Arsenal

Lewis-Skelly has been perfectly clear when it comes to his own stance - he wants to stay at Arsenal. He scored in the Gunners’ last pre-season friendly against Como at the Emirates last week amid all the noise surrounding his possible exit.

His celebration was particularly pointed, as the youngster ran to the corner and put his hands together in a praying gesture to the crowd, which formed a heart shape. After walking back to the centre circle, he passionately tapped the Arsenal badge on his shirt, making it clear his head and heart are with the Gunners.

Lewis-Skelly, who signed a long-term contract last summer, doubled down following the recent 3-0 win over City. After the main celebrations, he approached the stand on the opposite side to where the trophy presentation had been, in full view of the press box, and stood alone, waving to the fans, shaking his medal, sparking plenty of ’49! 49! Lewis-Skelly!’ chants from the supporters.

Mikel Arteta’s stance

Many thought that Lewis-Skelly had earned his manager’s trust with his performances at the end of last season, which culminated in him being picked to start in the Champions League final. However, given developments in recent weeks, that is more unclear.

While Arteta has clearly shown faith in the player by starting him throughout pre-season and in the Community Shield, what he has not said regarding Lewis-Skelly can be deemed just as useful when determining his stance. The Spaniard was asked about the speculation that had arisen following the friendly draw with Como but the Arsenal manager did little to quell concerns that the fan-favourite could leave.

Arteta merely said: "It's a very emotional player, I remember when he did all the gestures on the pitch, so I'm not going to talk about any speculation. If there is speculation about our player, it's a good sign. That means that we attract attention and they're doing a good job."

Many were perhaps expecting something far more absolute and committed about the player’s future. And, when asked about the role Lewis-Skelly would play this season prior to the Community Shield, Arteta was again cryptic in his response.

He said: "[It] depends how he trains. Depends on the position. A lot of factors, nothing else. There's a lot of players that can play in various positions. And there's a huge quality that we have in the squad."

Swap deal proposal

There are just over two weeks left in the window and, without guarantees from the manager, a nervous fortnight awaits Lewis-Skelly. The Athletic reports that Arsenal do not actively want to lose the midfield sensation but recognise that their approach to sales over the next couple of weeks may need to be flexible to bring in new players to address more pressing positions.

Their capacity to generate revenue via sales is determined by the market and those players that are attracting interest. If buyers for the expected departures fail to come forward, Arsenal may entertain offers for a wider group of players, including Lewis-Skelly.

Gunners legend Lee Dixon has voiced his own stance on allowing the youngster to leave, saying he would personally accept a swap deal for Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford. Rashford has long been tipped for a permanent move away from United but made his return in a pre-season friendly loss to AC Milan last week after 18 months out of the side.

"Would I swap them? You know what, I probably would," Dixon said, speaking via BestBettingSites. "And that's nothing against Myles Lewis-Skelly; it's about giving him the freedom to go and expand his game elsewhere."

"Give him that love, give him the freedom to play on that left side, and yeah, I'd like to see him in an Arsenal shirt. I have my reservations about whether he's consistently a top-class player, but based on what Arsenal have in the squad now, he'd be a good addition."