Former Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre has predicted that Myles Lewis-Skelly will not leave the club in the January transfer window.
Shock rumours surfaced online this week that Chelsea are one of the Premier League clubs monitoring the 19-year-old left-back, despite Arsenal insisting the player isn’t for sale and won’t leave on loan.
Lewis-Skelly, who signed a new deal at the Emirates earlier this year, hasn’t started a single top-flight game for the Gunners this term with Mikel Arteta opting to pick Riccardo Calafiori ahead of him.
The teenager’s lack of playing time has cost him a place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, with the World Cup coming up next year.
But Silvestre is adamant Lewis-Skelly, a Hale End academy graduate who is under contract until the summer of 2030, won’t leave in January with Arsenal in four competitions and fighting for the top-flight title.
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‘I don’t see Myles Lewis-Skelly going anywhere between now and the end of the season,’ Silvestre told Esports Insider.
‘While Mikel Arteta might currently favour Riccardo Calafiori as the starting left-back, he’s been injured before and Arsenal can’t afford to be short in any position, given the Premier League title is on the line.
‘Arsenal are in all four competitions, they’ll need to utilise every player at their disposal.
‘When the games start coming thick and fast, their squad depth will be tested.
‘We know Arsenal have a strong bench and squad now, but a lot of those players will have national duty throughout the season too, so it’s only a matter of time before they’ll need to rotate players.’
‘Lewis-Skelly won’t join West Ham or Crystal Palace on loan’
Meanwhile, football transfers expert Fabrizio Romano has shut down talk of Lewis-Skelly joining West Ham or Crystal Palace on loan in January.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said: ‘There are always rumours about Lewis-Skelly.
‘During the international break, rumours about loan, maybe Crystal Palace, maybe West Ham, go, play, World Cup – no chance. Arsenal don’t want Lewis-Skelly to leave.
‘And there are rumours about Chelsea. Today in England, rumours about Chelsea considering a permanent transfer proposal for Myles Lewis-Skelly.
‘Forget about that. Lewis-Skelly is Arsenal. Arsenal are very happy with Lewis-Skelly, and they are not considering to part ways. Lewis-Skelly is seen as a really, really, really important part of the squad – super appreciated by Arsenal.
‘I don’t know whether these rumours are always coming from constantly about Lewis-Skelly, but he’s part of the project. He’s not leaving in January.
‘Arsenal want to keep the player and trust the player. That’s the message I am getting today from both, player side and club’s side.’