Manchester United have been linked with a move for Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly and Mikel Arteta's thoughts on the matter are already known
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta with Myles Lewis-Skelly during a training session at Sobha Realty Training Centre
Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly has been linked with Manchester United(Image: Getty)
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Arsenal ace Myles Lewis-Skelly has been linked with a move to Manchester United and Mikel Arteta's outlook could aid a potential transfer. The Gunners teenager is supposedly on the hunt for more first-team minutes.
Since signing his first professional contract at the Emirates in 2023, Lewis-Skelly has become an integral part of Arteta's rotation. He was handed his debut by the Spaniard in 2024 and was nominated for PFA Young Player of the Year last term.
But Arsenal's defence is statistically the Premier League's best and minutes have become scarce for Lewis-Skelly. He is typically deployed at left-back, where both Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie trump him in the pecking order and Jurrien Timber can fill in.
This season, the 19-year-old has started just a single top-flight match and reports suggest United are sniffing around. Arteta's attitude to a previous transfer could help prospective proceedings.
According to Sky Sports, Lewis-Skelly is on United's list of left-back targets for the summer. In 2024, an Arsenal youngster completed a similar move to the one mooted for Lewis-Skelly. Chido Obi had been with the Gunners' academy since he was 13 but opted to swap allegiances and join United.
Chido Obi of Manchester United takes photographs with supporters during the FA Youth Cup fourth round match between Manchester United and Derby County at Old Trafford
Obi made the switch from Arsenal to United in 2024(Image: Getty)
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Arteta was asked about the move and his stance was telling. Last year, when Obi's United prepared to play Arsenal, he said: "Depending on what is the reason, they wanted to go somewhere else - that is it.
"To persuade a player to stay, a player has to be willing to be with us and commit to us. I don't know specifically, [but] both parties will feel very different about it.
"I wasn't too involved in that decision. When a player decides that the best pathway is to leave, there is not much that you can do. Very unfortunate."
This viewpoint could aid United's efforts in pursuing Lewis-Skelly. Should the 19-year-old conclude that it benefits him to leave Arsenal in search of increased playing time at United, Arteta's way of thinking perhaps means he would be allowed to depart.
Myles Lewis-Skelly of Arsenal walks towards the substitutes bench prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Arsenal FC
Lewis-Skelly has struggled for minutes at the Emirates this season(Image: Getty)
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However, Lewis-Skelly only signed a new contract last year, lasting until 2030. On top of the fact Arsenal would likely demand a mammoth fee for the defender, his comments after penning the deal suggest he won't be leaving the Emirates any time soon.
"I want a legacy," he said in June. "I want to win everything there is to win in the game. I want to win trophies on the biggest stages whilst being a person that's always learning and stays grounded, which is so important.
"I've embodied the values of Hale End and come through. I've still got a lot of years ahead of me, so if I can keep staying humble and being a good person, that's the most important thing to me."