Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has brushed off transfer speculation surrounding Myles Lewis-Skelly, saying he welcomes his players being linked with moves to other clubs.
Lewis-Skelly has been linked with potential transfers to Chelsea and Manchester United in recent days following Arsenal’s signing of midfielder Bruno Guimarães from Newcastle.
– Premier League transfers: All confirmed ins, outs
– Premier League 2026-27 kits: Ranking every jersey released
But the 19-year-old started in Arsenal’s midfield in Wednesday’s preseason clash with Italian side Como at the Emirates Stadium. And it was he who scored Arsenal’s goal before making a heart sign to the crowd as he celebrated before tapping the club badge on his shirt on his way back to the center circle.
“It’s good to be emotional after scoring, you should be emotional when you score a goal,” Arteta said when asked about Lewis-Skelly’s celebration.
“He’s a very emotional player, you see with his gestures on the pitch. I’m not going to talk about speculation — if there is speculation about our players, it’s a good sign — that means our players attract attention and are doing a good job.”
The England international signed a five-year contract with Arsenal last summer but his long-term future has come under scrutiny since he fell behind Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapié last term to become Mikel Arteta’s third-choice left back.
While he started only five Premier League games across the course of the campaign, he enjoyed an end-of-season resurgence in his natural role of central midfield.
Arsenal, however, are well-stocked in that position after signing Guimarães to join Declan Rice, captain Martin Ødegaard and World Cup winners Martín Zubimendi and Mikel Merino.
“He’s had a really good preseason,” Arteta added of Lewis-Skelly. “We asked him to play in a different position because he played more as a No. 6 — we obviously lacked midfielders from international duty — and I think he had a really consistent preseason.”
Brazil international Guimarães, who joined in a £75 million deal from Newcastle on Saturday, was introduced at halftime against Como to make his Gunners debut, while Lewis-Skelly was replaced in the 62nd minute by Merino.
Guimarães scored in the shootout to help Arsenal get the win after the teams were locked 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes.
“He’s only had three training sessions, but he looked good,” Arteta said. “He was really pushing to play some minutes today, get his debut and get the feeling of playing in front of our fans immediately. He’s a player that will make us better, without a doubt.”
After delivering Arsenal’s first Premier League title in 22 years last season, Arteta has made it clear that he remains eager for the club to improve the squad before the end of the summer transfer window.
“There is more that we want to do, because every time we have an opportunity to improve the squad and bring more quality and depth, we need to do that,” he said. “We’re actively trying to do so — the thing is in the market, it doesn’t just depend on you, and we’re very clear on that. The will and the desire of the club is unquestionable, but we cannot promise that we’re going to do it because it doesn’t only depend on us.”
In the meantime, Arsenal will now prepare for Sunday’s Community Shield against Manchester City at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
“I think we were able to tick a lot of boxes [in preseason], with the circumstances of the World Cup and the amount of players that we had abroad,” Arteta said. “It has brought some good strengths, but there are a lot of lessons to take and we’re going to be ready for Sunday.”
PA contributed to this report.
