Arsenal may be about to make a transfer decision that is truly unforgivable

Let’s get one thing straight before we even begin.

Mikel Arteta chose Myles Lewis-Skelly to start in the Champions League final in May.

Not Martin Zubimendi, last summer’s £55million signing who had played every Premier League game that season. Lewis-Skelly. The 19-year-old.

Yet now, apparently, Arsenal are open to selling him.

This has to be agent talk. It has to be. The idea that Arsenal — or at least, Arteta — would actually entertain selling Lewis-Skelly, to Chelsea or Manchester United, no less, after everything he showed last season beggars belief.

Chelsea don’t even have European football to offer him. United have made multiple midfield signings and also have their own midfield academy graduate in Kobbie Mainoo. The pathway at either club is no clearer than it is at Arsenal, and considerably less glamourous.

Myles Lewis-Skelly still has a huge role to play at Arsenal

A lot of people are suggesting that Lewis-Skelly needs to leave for regular football, but that fundamentally misunderstands his situation at Arsenal.

He is 19. Look at the ages of the other midfield options — they are basically a decade older. Declan Rice is 27. Bruno Guimaraes turns 29 in November. Martin Zubimendi is 27. Mikel Merino is 30.

There is a natural, obvious pathway here. Rice in particular needs protecting after the toll last season took on his body. Lewis-Skelly will get plenty of meaningful minutes, even with Guimaraes coming in.

Arsenal will play around 60 games again next season. Arteta now has Manchester City-level midfield depth, and that needs to be used. It’s not entirely unrealistic to say Lewis-Skelly could clock 2,500 to 3,000 minutes across all competitions next season.

Even this year, Rice playing deeper opens lots of opportunities for him, especially as both Bruno and Martin Odegaard like to skew right.

Having a press-resistant zone mover who wants to shift to the left is so useful. And in big games, playing Rice, Bruno, and Lewis-Skelly together gives you almost every quality you could want.

There is also the left-back spot, which people seem to have forgotten about too. Yes, Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie are clearly ahead of him here, but those two are also the cover options for Gabriel at left centre-back.

And he is Arsenal’s only reliable left-footed option from deep. There are obvious gametime opportunities for him.

Besides, let’s be honest about Chelsea’s recent track record with young players. They would inevitably move for Adam Wharton or Alex Scott the summer after and Lewis-Skelly would be back on the bench.

There is a clear pathway for him at Arsenal, despite what rival fans might think. The age profile of the squad is very much in his favour.

Surely this is just his agent kicking up a fuss after the Bruno signing.

There is simply no footballing argument for this sale; he should be untouchable. Selling him to a direct rival makes no sense and would be pretty unforgivable.

Keep Lewis-Skelly. It shouldn’t be a discussion.