Carragher Critiques Arsenal's Decision on Myles Lewis-Skelly

Jamie Carragher has torn into Arsenal’s thinking over Myles Lewis-Skelly, branding the club’s apparent willingness to sell one of their standout Hale End products as baffling.

Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, the former Liverpool defender could not hide his surprise at how the situation has unfolded, suggesting the initiative came from Arsenal rather than the player’s camp.

“That’s the thing that was a little bit strange about it,” Carragher said. “It felt almost like Arsenal offered Manchester United Myles Lewis-Skelly. It wasn’t Myles Lewis-Skelly saying, I want to leave, or his people putting something out. That’s where the shock came from, not so much the players’ side of it.”

For Carragher, the issue is not just the principle of losing an academy jewel. It is the calibre of player Arsenal are apparently prepared to move on.

He warned that the Gunners risk making a serious error by cashing in on a youngster he believes has already shown he can live at the very top level.

“I still can’t believe it,” he continued. “Obviously, last season wasn’t great for him for the whole season, but when a young player has already put in performances like I’ve seen him put in at the Bernabeu – maybe over a year or 18 months ago, at left-back, he was running the game at the Bernabeu – and then his performance in the final in central midfield against Paris Saint-Germain. You can’t play at that level unless you’re pretty special at that age.”

Those displays, in Carragher’s eyes, are not flashes in the pan. They are markers of a ceiling that is simply too high to gamble with.

“All young players have ups and downs. Last season he didn’t play as much as he probably would have liked,” he said. “But his ceiling is so high for the performances he’s already put in as a 20-year-old kid. I couldn’t believe that Arsenal would even think about letting him go. It does feel like a strange one.”

If Arsenal do decide to part with Lewis-Skelly, they will not just be losing a prospect. They will be backing against their own academy at a time when rivals are watching closely.