Arteta ‘100%’ confident of Arsenal star staying at the club this summer

Mikel Arteta says he is “100%” confident Myles Lewis-Skelly will remain an Arsenal player this summer.

Lewis-Skelly has attracted interest from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United but Arteta is adamant the 18-year-old will stay at the Emirates.

However, the Gunners boss accepts other exits are likely before the window shuts.

“It’s a really, really tough moment. We need to face that reality,” Arteta said.

“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.

“You might not like what you’ve been told, but if it’s truthful, if it’s the reality and honest and make 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.”

The Arsenal boss did reiterate his desire to maintain a deep squad, however, particularly given how injuries have affected his side.

“Without talking any specifics, it is something we are working on with every individual,” Arteta said.

“I want to have the squad as big as possible because we know what we’re fighting for, we learn again from the past. Especially last year when we had injuries in two or three areas of the pitch.

“The deeper squad we have, the better. But the players have to feel valued and feel important.”