Jamie Carragher has given his view on the latest transfer news to emerge from Arsenal after the club paid £75m to Newcastle for Bruno Guimaraes
Jamie Carragher thinks Arsenal would be making a mistake if they sold Myles Lewis-Skelly
Jamie Carragher thinks Arsenal would be making a mistake if they sold Myles Lewis-Skelly
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Jamie Carragher has spoken of his surprise that Arsenal offered Manchester United the chance to sign Myles Lewis-Skelly. Chelsea and United turned down the chance to sign Lewis-Skelly earlier this week after an intermediary associated with the left-back contacted them.
Lewis-Skelly is believed to have been offered to United as a potential left-back option, with Arsenal wishing to recoup some of the £75m paid to Newcastle United for Bruno Guimaraes. The 19-year-old played 36 times in all competitions last term as Arsenal won the league and reached the Champions League final.
Lewis-Skelly, a product of the Gunners' Hale End academy, only signed a contract extension at the Emirates Stadium last year, and Carragher believes his ceiling is too high for Arsenal to even consider selling him.
“I still can’t believe it,” he said on the latest episode of The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet. “Obviously, last season wasn’t great for him for the whole season, but when a young player has already put in performances like I’ve seen him put in at the Bernabeu - maybe over a year or 18 months ago, at left-back, he was running the game at the Bernabeu - and then his performance in the final in central midfield against Paris Saint-Germain.
“You can’t play at that level unless you’re pretty special at that age. All young players have ups and downs. Last season he didn’t play as much as he probably would have liked.
“But, as you just said, his ceiling is so high for the performances he’s already put in as a 20-year-old kid. I couldn’t believe that Arsenal would even think about letting him go.”
The former Liverpool defender then continued: “Do you think it’s from his side or the club’s side? That’s the thing that was a little bit strange about it.
Myles Lewis-Skelly won the Premier League with Arsenal last season
Myles Lewis-Skelly won the Premier League with Arsenal last season(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images For Premier League)
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“It felt almost like - or the story was - Arsenal offered Manchester United Myles Lewis-Skelly. It wasn’t Myles Lewis-Skelly saying, I want to leave, or his people putting something out. That’s where the shock came from, not so much the players’ side of it.”
While former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes likened the situation to Danny Welbeck’s Old Trafford exit.
“It reminds me a little bit of when Danny Welbeck left Manchester United - I hated it, didn’t like it,” he said.
“Now, probably Danny was a little bit older than Myles Lewis-Skelly, but when you’re losing your own players - the history of the club bringing young players through - it’s disappointing.”
Danny Welbeck
Danny Welbeck recently signed for Chelsea, but he left Manchester United for Arsenal back in 2014(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
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Lewis-Skelly, who is naturally a central midfielder but also provides cover on the left-hand side of defence, has started every pre-season game for the Gunners this season.
And he was on target on Wednesday night as Arsenal played out a 1-1 draw with Serie A side Como at the Emirates Stadium.
Lewis-Skelly celebrated with a heart sign gesture towards supporters before tapping the badge on his shirt while returning to the centre circle, and was seen blowing a kiss to the Gunners faithful.
When asked about Lewis-Skelly's celebration and transfer interest in the midfielder, Gunners boss Arteta said: "Emotional? It's good to score a goal.
"It's a very emotional player. I remember when he did the action on the pitch. Interest in our player is a good sign."