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Why Mikel Arteta and Arsenal need to avoid the lure of pure profit when it comes to their most successful Hale End graduate since Bukayo Saka.

Myles Lewis-Skelly is not merely part of Arsenal’s future plans. He is already a major part of the champions’ dynamic present. Reports linking the teenager with a move away were effectively put to bed in Cardiff on Sunday. The Community Shield can often leave as many doubts as conclusions, but one issue was certainly clarified in Arsenal’s 3-0 dismantling of Manchester City: Lewis-Skelly’s value to the club, both on the pitch and in financial terms, is immense.

Arsenal should part with even world champions such as Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino before they even begin to think about letting Lewis-Skelly go. He matters that much.

He is more than just a squad number at Arsenal, even if it is the relatively obscure No. 49, previously vacated by Estonian goalkeeper Karl Hein, now Werder Bremen’s first-choice keeper. He is more than a gifted midfield option to be rotated in once the new preferred pairing of Declan Rice and Bruno Guimaraes has completed its relentless work and needs a breather, or when a match is already under control.

Given the natural impatience that comes with youth, the teenager will understandably want to feature in every match. But there are so many fixtures ahead. Arsenal are only one game into what could become a 68-match marathon. Mikel Arteta will rightly manage minutes and rotate his squad to keep players fresh for each assignment, surely having learned from the heavy physical toll of Rice’s workload last season.

"MLS" brings drive and aggression in the press. He also offers calmness and creativity in possession. For Arsenal’s opening goal against City, Lewis-Skelly coolly allowed the ball to run across his body before threading Riccardo Calafiori through on goal. Very few players possess both the awareness to spot that pass and the technical quality to execute it. He identifies openings early. That sharp anticipation and agility, along with his ability to change direction quickly, reflects his early years as a promising tennis talent.

He is versatile, with central midfield his strongest position, yet he announced himself for both Arsenal and England at left-back. He also played at centre-back for his school side, although he does not really have the height for that role. There are still areas of his game that need refining, including his finishing, but he is only 19. Like any young professional, MLS will still be learning what complete dedication to the craft truly demands. He certainly has excellent examples around him at London Colney.

MLS is an exciting embodiment of something supporters always cherish — one of their own, a respected academy graduate, a connection between the dressing room and the stands. He is a Hale End product, having joined at the age of eight, and is steeped in the culture of the club in the same way as Bukayo Saka and the poster boy for the next generation, Max Dowman. In an era of soaring transfer fees and clubs needing to keep their finances in order — something Arsenal do well — it makes even more sense to produce talent internally. The flaw in that system is that it can then tempt clubs to sell homegrown players because the fee is recorded in the accounts as pure profit.

How much is MLS worth? Reports have valued him at £45m, which feels absurdly low, almost disrespectful. He is 19, has four years remaining on his contract and is already an England international, which brings the added Three Lions premium to any transfer fee.

How much is MLS worth? Reports have valued him at £45m, which feels absurdly low, almost disrespectful. He is 19, has four years remaining on his contract and is already an England international, which brings the added Three Lions premium to any transfer fee.

Very little appears to unsettle him: he scored against City in 2025 and memorably copied Erling Haaland’s meditation celebration. It came across as mischievous rather than disrespectful or arrogant, and served as a subtle response to Haaland’s earlier "who are you?" during a confrontation at the Etihad. MLS is certainly not lacking in personality.

He registered an assist against Real Madrid and scored on his England debut. Arteta thought highly enough of the teenager to start him ahead of Zubimendi in last May’s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain. At his best in a double pivot, Lewis-Skelly relished helping Guimaraes get the better of Elliot Anderson and an out-of-sorts Mateo Kovacic in Cardiff.

Any talk of him leaving, however short-lived and regardless of where it came from, was disheartening. Arsenal are a global institution, with players and supporters coming from across the world, and that reflects both their appeal and their inclusive spirit. But reminders of the club’s roots, and of its English identity, must be protected and encouraged. Local heroes have always been part of Arsenal’s story, from Tony Adams to Charlie George.

Midway through the second half at the Principality Stadium, Arsenal supporters began singing about the late, great David Rocastle, whose name, image and guiding words are woven into parts of Hale End. “Remember who you are, what you are, and who you represent.” MLS represents Arsenal’s present and future.