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Arsenal are making good progress in tying down their exciting young players Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly to new long-term contracts. The pair of Arsenal academy graduates are firmly seen as part of the future at the club after breaking into the first team in recent times.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly were pictured training with Mikel Arteta ahead of Arsenal’s crucial Champions League quarter-final, second leg tie against Real Madrid. The pair have enjoyed breakthrough seasons at the Emirates Stadium in a busy campaign for the Gunners. Arsenal have been looking to tie the two 18-year-olds down to new deals for some time yet and the north Londoners are said to be making progress as they continue talks. Arteta has previously insisted he wants young players to feel as though they belong at the club.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Both Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly have established themselves as key players at Arsenal this season. Nwaneri has made 31 appearances for the club and stepped up in the absence of Bukayo Saka, who missed four months of action due to injury, while defender Lewis-Skelly has become the Gunners primary left-back after featuring 29 times and earning a senior England debut. Arsenal have a rich crop of young players and keeping Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly is a top priority amid reported interest from other leading clubs. It is also believed retaining the duo will save the club a lot of money in terms of transfer fees, with Arsenal said to be ready to pay up to 100 million (£88m/$105m) each for players of a similar quality in the market.
WHAT NEXT?
Arsenal return to action against Real Madrid on Tuesday aware they have one foot in the semi-finals after hammering Los Blancos 3-0 in the Spanish capital last time out. The Gunners are also chasing Liverpool in the Premier League title race as they bid to close an 11-point gap in the table. Securing the futures of Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly would be a huge boost as the north Londoners look to end the campaign on a high note. Arsenal hope to finalise the contracts for the pair before the end of the season, but they want both players to know they have a long-term future at the club. Arteta’s side currently turn their attentions to the second leg with Madrid as they search for their first appearance in the last four of the European competition since 2009.
