Mikel Arteta says he is "100 per cent" confident Myles Lewis-Skelly will be an Arsenal player at the end of the transfer window. Chelsea enquired about Lewis-Skelly earlier this summer, with Manchester United also long-term admirers of the teenager, who started Arsenal's Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain in May. But, asked in press conference ahead of Friday night's Premier League opener against Coventry - live on Sky Sports - if he is confident that Lewis-Skelly will remain as an Arsenal player, Arteta replied: "100 per cent." He later added: "The players that have been raised in our [academy] system and they feel that love and connection with the club, it brings something else.
There is no question about that. "We need to look after them in a very special way because they bring value that is very difficult to [find]. That's why, when we can, we have to protect those assets as much as possible, develop them, and make them very important for the club." Arteta was also asked if Arsenal need to have some brutal conversations about letting players go.
The likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri have been linked with moves away from the club. "It's a really tough moment. We need to face that reality," said Arteta.
"But you have to face it with a real honesty and transparency. When you're on the other side, it's exactly what you need. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player "You might not like what you've been told, but if it's truthful, if it's the reality and honest and makes you make better decisions and have more clarity for the next step in your career, you have to do that.
These are always difficult conversations. But they need to be done. "We all know everything has a start and an end.
When it ends, our job and duty is to do it in the best possible way, with respect and admiration for the player and the relationship. But at the end, we need to make difficult decisions. "Without talking any specifics, it is something we are working on with every individual.
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