Three Hale End stars now have a perfect pathway after Arsenal’s transfer business
Arsenal are set to complete the signing of Ezri Konsa.
The Aston Villa defender will be the fourth new arrival this summer, following Illan Meslier, Christos Tzolis and Bruno Guimaraes through the door.
Their recent business has shown just how much their transfer strategy has evolved under Mikel Arteta, but there is one aspect that has perhaps not received enough credit.
Three of Arsenal’s most exciting academy products now have a clearer pathway to the first team than ever.
And it seems intentional.
Myles Lewis-Skelly
A lot has been said about Myles Lewis-Skelly’s future this summer. The 19-year-old was reportedly offered to Chelsea and Manchester United, and there has been all sorts of nonsense swap deal talk.
Arteta has since ruled out any departure, which is a relief.
Lewis-Skelly has plenty of competition in the midfield spots at Arsenal, but he is almost a decade younger than the others. Bruno Guimaraes is 28. Declan Rice is 27. Martin Zubimendi is 27. Mikel Merino is 30.
We have written extensively about how Guimaraes’ arrival is actually good for Lewis-Skelly — giving him world-class mentors, protecting him from the burden of carrying too much responsibility too soon, while ensuring he still gets meaningful minutes across a 60-game season.
In two or three years, as Rice and Guimaraes enter their early thirties and Zubimendi or Merino potentially move on, Lewis-Skelly will be 21 or 22, ready to become the most important midfielder in Arsenal’s team.
Ethan Nwaneri
There has also been plenty of noise around Ethan Nwaneri’s future, but Arsenal have decided to loan him out rather than sell him permanently.
That stance has pleased a lot of Arsenal fans, including Ian Wright. And there is long-term logic to that.
Martin Odegaard turns 28 this season. Eberechi Eze is already 28. Merino is 30. The advanced midfield and attacking positions that Nwaneri would naturally occupy are currently filled by players at or near their peak, but not forever.
If Nwaneri goes on loan, develops properly, and returns a better player next summer, he arrives back at Arsenal at a time one or more of those players might be moved on.
Max Dowman will also be in and around these positions, as Arteta figures whether he prefers him in these central zones or on the right ala Bukayo Saka.
The pathway is there for Nwaneri. He just needs to be a little more patient.
Marli Salmon
Marli Salmon has been one of the stories of Arsenal’s pre-season.
The 16-year-old centre-back has drawn comparisons to a young William Saliba, carrying the ball out from the back almost like a winger, reading the game with extraordinary maturity, and impressing everyone who has watched him at London Colney.
The fact that Arsenal signed Konsa at 28, rather than a younger centre-back who might block Salmon’s path, is telling.
Konsa is not a long-term solution at the back, but he is a high-quality bridge.
By the time Konsa is 30 or 31 and Saliba is fit and established, Salmon will be approaching 19 or 20, ready to compete for a place in Arsenal’s defence. The age profile of the signing was not accidental.
