Arsenal are preparing a new contract offer to Myles Lewis-Skelly following his recent strong performances for the first team, according to a report.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Arsenal are preparing a ‘new deal’ proposal for Myles Lewis-Skelly to sign this year, with both the club and the coaching staff excited with his progress.
Romano claims that discussions are set to follow with the player’s camp, but the Gunners are very happy with his development and he’s a key part of the long-term project.
Lewis-Skelly signed his last contract back in October 2023, days after turning 17. Players are only eligible for their first professional deal at 17, so that was the earliest he could have signed on.
Those first professional deals only last for a maximum of three seasons, including the one they were signed in. So Lewis-Skelly could only sign until 2026 at the time.
But once a player turns 18, they can then sign a longer-term contract. Lewis-Skelly turned 18 in late September 2024, which is why new-deal talks are now ongoing. The expectation would be that this time he’d sign for four or five years.
Lewis-Skelly has made 15 appearances for Arsenal this season, and he seems like an important member of the first-team squad at the moment. Those facts should help in negotiations, as the teenager can see there’s a pathway to minutes for him.
Mikel Arteta talked on Friday about the youngster’s adaptation to a left-back role over the last year, with the academy graduate previously operating in midfield with the youth teams.
“When I saw him, to give him a chance and with the project that we had in the academy the moment that I saw him, the only way I could think was to change his position,” Arteta said.
“I spoke to him and said I think this is where you’re going to have it, because I think it fits a lot of his qualities, the way that we play and it fits because we had necessities in the position, so we started to work on that.
“He got into it straight away with the personality that he has. I think it’s very obvious and now he’s doing it.
“He’s dealing with that in a great way. Physically as well he’s matured a lot in the last year or so and it was another great performance (on Wednesday).”
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