Ian Wright Defends Myles Lewis-Skelly Amid Transfer Speculation

Ian Wright has launched a fierce defence of Arsenal academy star Myles Lewis-Skelly and hit out at the growing role of intermediaries in the club’s transfer dealings, as speculation over the teenager’s future intensifies.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, the former Arsenal striker dismissed claims that Lewis-Skelly is being pushed towards a move and insisted the noise is not coming from the player’s camp.

"I don't know where that's coming from because I know for a fact that's not coming from his team," Wright said. "It's not coming from his mum. Arsenal fans need to chill out with his mum saying that she's touting him about. Myles has already said he's happy to stay."

The rumours have linked the 17-year-old with a switch to Manchester United, and Wright admitted the midfielder’s form makes him an obvious target.

"He'd be a great signing for Manchester United, of course he would. Look what he's doing," he added.

What really bothers Wright is Arsenal’s handling of the situation. For him, the club could end the uncertainty with one clear statement.

"Why have Arsenal not just said he's not for sale?" he asked. "There's things happening and this again is what I'm worried about with Arsenal, it's the way we're doing business with intermediaries now. How's that story happening when we know for a fact they're happy and want to stay?"

Wright then widened his criticism beyond Lewis-Skelly, pointing to Gabriel Martinelli as another example of a player whose name is being circulated without, he says, any direct contact from the club.

"[Gabriel] Martinelli has not been contacted by anybody at the club but has been touted about everywhere, who is doing that? Why is that happening?"

For Wright, the mixed messages run straight through Arsenal’s transfer policy. On one hand, they are linked with elite, big-money targets. On the other, they are entertaining sales that appear to contradict those ambitions.

"You know what's confusing? How can we be in for Vinicius Junior when we're looking to break records trying to sign this guy but now we're desperate to sell. What's going on?" he said.

He also highlighted what he sees as a pattern in Arsenal’s outgoing business.

"We've got a big squad and somebody has to leave but it seems like everyone leaving Arsenal is going to Turkey, that's another thing."

Wright then turned to a subject that clearly stings: the financial reality around homegrown players. With academy graduates counting as “pure profit” in accounting terms, he believes they come under harsher scrutiny when clubs look to balance the books.

"The unfortunate thing you get when you've got a player who comes through the academy and breaks in to the first team and does what they do, you've always got that noose of pure profit on them."

He name-checked Ethan Nwaneri as another youngster caught in that tension, welcoming reports that Arsenal are now leaning towards a loan rather than a permanent sale.

"It's the same with Ethan Nwaneri. I'm hearing now that they're not going to sell him they want to loan him which I'm quite pleased about because I don't think at any stage he's had a run to have a go at playing in that team."

Lewis-Skelly, though, remains at the heart of Wright’s concern. The 17-year-old has impressed whenever given a platform, and Wright believes it is no surprise top clubs are circling.

"When you've got someone like Myles who is playing well, it's unbelievable what he's capable of doing then of course Manchester United will see if something can happen," he said. "They've seen Guimaraes come in they've seen Declan Rice."

Yet despite that interest, Wright insists the player’s stance is clear – and that Arsenal’s silence is what truly alarms him.

"He doesn't want to leave and that's the thing that's really baffling me is why Arsenal don't just come in and say he's not for sale."