Arsenal have prepared new contract proposals for teenagers Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, with their signatures expected on the dotted line soon, according to reports.
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who confirmed on X this afternoon that the Gunners are keen to tie the starlets down to long-term deals at the club.
Responding to an earlier post from February in which he stated, “talks are already underway”, Romano said, “New contract proposals ready and talks underway since February for both Ethan Nwaneri & Myles Lewis-Skelly… Arsenal are working on it.”
Ethan Nwaneri was forced to settle for a watching brief from the bench as Arsenal thrashed Real Madrid 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, while Myles Lewis-Skelly played 90 minutes at left-back.
Despite only turning 18 just last month, Nwaneri has impressed in North London with a maturity above his years and a desire to make things happen on the ball.
The talented youngster has seized several opportunities early in his Gunners career, averaging a goal or assist every 142 minutes during his limited time on the pitch.
While it may be a small sample size to draw upon, it ranks above Bukayao Saka’s early contributions in an Arsenal shirt, as he had a hand in a goal every 292 minutes during his breakthrough season.
Nwaneri’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season so agreeing a new deal was high on Andrea Berta’s priorities as sporting director, particularly with clubs such as Madrid among interested parties.
👉 Declan Rice’s Real Madrid madness crashes into best Mikel Arteta wins ranking
👉 Real Madrid ‘terrorised’ by Arsenal star with three superstars ‘anonymous’ – journalist
👉 Mikel Arteta provides injury update on key duo after statement triumph vs Real Madrid
Another key priority is extending Myles Lewis-Skelly’s stay at the club by rewarding him with a lucrative new contract.
The talented full-back signed professional terms as recently as 2023, but with reports suggesting his current remuneration could be as low as £4,000 per week, the man born a few miles down the road from the Emirates Stadium is in for a hefty pay increase.
Lewis-Skelly was one of the standout performers in Tuesday night’s win, playing an active role in limiting a menacing Madrid attack to nine shots at goal.
Arsenal’s number 49 didn’t look at all phased as he faced down Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Fede Valverde on his side of the pitch, turning in what would arguably have been a man-of-the-match performance if not for Declan Rice’s superlative free-kick antics.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing, however, with red cards coming just 43 and 17 minutes into appearances against West Ham and Wolves, respectively, providing a harsh lesson about life at the top level.
It’s thought that agreeing terms and tying the promising pair down to new deals was never going to be a problem with work having started in February.
Their next chance to impress will come when the Gunners host Brentford in the Premier League’s evening kick-off on Saturday.