Arsenal have some big decisions to make heading into the summer transfer window.
Indeed, after spending more than £250m last summer without any significant money coming back in, the Gunners need to sell if they are to re-invest.
Luckily, there are plenty of players in the squad who could be sold to raise some cash.
Just a few weeks ago, it looked possible that both Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri could leave Arsenal this summer. Now, the situation appears to be changing quickly, and Lewis-Skelly’s rise in midfield may have serious consequences for Nwaneri’s future.
If you could set Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly’s price tags, how much would you demand?
Myles Lewis-Skelly’s rise may lead to Ethan Nwaneri being sold
Myles Lewis-Skelly has been outstanding since moving into midfield.
His performances against Fulham and Atletico Madrid have completely shifted the conversation around him. Instead of looking like a talented academy player fighting for minutes, he now looks like someone who could become a major part of Mikel Arteta’s plans moving forward.
Arsenal were already facing difficult decisions around academy players because of their financial situation.
After spending heavily last summer, the club are likely to need player sales before investing again. Young academy products are particularly valuable in that regard because their sales count as pure profit under financial fair play rules.
Both Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri fit that category, however, one player now looks significantly more likely to stay.
Lewis-Skelly’s emergence in midfield has made him too useful to lose. Arteta suddenly has a 19-year-old who looks capable of contributing in huge games, including a Champions League semi-final. Players with that level of potential and immediate impact are difficult to replace.
Nwaneri’s situation feels very different.
He is currently out on loan at Marseille and has slipped down the pecking order at Arsenal. While he remains hugely talented, he no longer feels central to the project in the same way Lewis-Skelly suddenly does, especially with Max Dowman emerging at the same time in the same position.
From Arsenal’s perspective, selling Nwaneri would bring in pure profit while helping create room for further investment elsewhere in the squad.
When Lewis-Skelly’s future looked uncertain, it did appear as though Nwaneri could potentially have another season in him if his teammate left the club as Arsenal would have recouped significant cash through that sale.
However, now, it looks like Nwaneri could be the one on the chopping block, and as he continues to struggle at Marseille, it’s hard to see how he saves his Arsenal career from here.
Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly are best friends, but, inadvertantly, Lewis-Skelly may have now pushed Nwaneri closer to the exit door.
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