Chelsea plotting spectacular Arsenal raid and Arteta’s mind is made up – transfer insider

TEAMtalk can shed light on whether there’s any truth in claims Arsenal will let Myles Lewis-Skelly depart amid his lack of action and confirmed interest from London rivals Chelsea.

Arsenal’s back four and goalkeeper pick themselves at present, with David Raya, Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori combining to form the world’s best defence.

Gabriel is currently sidelined with a knee injury, though Mikel Arteta doesn’t lack for high quality alternatives. Against Tottenham last time out, Piero Hincapie stepped in.

Over at left-back, Calafiori is proving undroppable in a situation that has slashed Lewis-Skelly’s game-time in a World Cup Year.

The Arsenal academy graduate burst on to the scene last year but has been made to settle for a bit-part role this time around.

The reduction in minutes has prompted speculation a six-month loan spell in January could be sanctioned.

Now, transfer insider, Dean Jones, has exposed those claims, revealing Arsenal and Arteta have no plans to let Lewis-Skelly leave in a season where Arsenal finally look like ending their 20-plus year wait for a Premier League title.

“I don’t think they see too much benefit to loaning him out during a season when they are going for the title,” explained Jones.

“You want players that can help you in a crisis, help you manage tough moments, and he understands exactly what Arteta has been trying to achieve.

“He knows the role, the style, and he continues to be spoken about as a player for the long-term.

“Don’t forget, he’s had big interest in the past. Real Madrid have even scouted him at times. I think his aim has been to just become a regular player at Arsenal first and that has its own challenges when the team is working towards something so significant this season.”

What about Chelsea?

Chelsea are always on the hunt for rising young stars and have shown a willingness to raid high-powered domestic rivals in recent times.

The Blues swooped for Alejandro Garnacho over the summer and most famously, snatched Cole Palmer from Manchester City.

Both players were unhappy with their situations and lack of guaranteed minutes at their respective clubs at the time Chelsea pounced.

Jones went on to note the Blues are monitoring Lews-Skelly’s situation closely and if there’s any hint a move is there to be made, they won’t hesitate to strike.

“One thing becoming quite clear is that Chelsea have become intrigued by his lack of game time though,” continued Jones.

“We have seen how they try their luck with players when they sense they might be frustrated. This could be one of those cases.

“There is no way Arsenal would let him join Chelsea midway through this season but at a time when Chelsea are starting to look at new defensive options I have been old that they do have him as one of the players on their list.”

Latest Arsenal news – New deals / Bayern raid / Eze signing of the season?

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has revealed Arsenal are edging ever “closer” towards a major agreement with a star player, with two more big names also due to discuss new contracts.

Elsewhere, a Bayern Munich teenager is continuing to catch the eye and strengthen Berta and Arteta desires to bring the player to the Emirates Stadium, reports in Germany have explained.

Finally, one man who could now lay claim to being the signing of the season is Arsenal’s hat-trick hero, Eberechi Eze. On the back of his magnificent treble, our writers have debated if the England playmaker is indeed the league’s best new addition, with two other stars also considered for the accolade.