Ian Wright Defends Myles Lewis-Skelly Amid Transfer Rumors

Ian Wright has launched a fierce defence of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Arsenal’s academy stars, accusing intermediaries and mixed messages from the club of fuelling needless transfer chaos.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, the former Arsenal striker hit out at rumours linking Lewis-Skelly with a move and pushed back hard on suggestions that the teenager’s camp are agitating for a transfer.

“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.”

For Wright, the solution is simple. Arsenal should shut the door publicly.

“Why have Arsenal not just said he's not for sale?” he asked. “He'd be a great signing for Manchester United, of course he would. Look what he's doing.”

That thought – United circling while Arsenal hesitate – clearly troubles him. Wright’s wider concern is the growing role of intermediaries and the way stories now seem to appear around players who, he insists, want to stay put.

“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,” he said. “How's that story happening when we know for a fact they're happy and want to stay?

“[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?”

From there, Wright turned his fire on what he sees as contradictions in Arsenal’s transfer strategy. One minute, links to global superstars. The next, talk of selling homegrown talent.

“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 pointed to the size of the squad and the need for outgoings, but questioned the pattern of exits and the financial logic that puts academy players under the harshest spotlight.

“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.

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.

Lewis-Skelly is not the only youngster on Wright’s mind. He welcomed talk that Ethan Nwaneri could be sent on loan rather than sold, arguing the teenager has never had a proper chance to establish himself.

“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.”

The fear is obvious: that Arsenal nurture elite talent, only to watch rivals cash in on the final product.

“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,” Wright said. “They've seen Guimaraes come in they've seen Declan Rice.”

And that brings him back to his central demand – clarity from the club, and protection for a player he believes should be central to Arsenal’s future.

“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.”