As Arsenal prepare to begin their Premier League title defence, the club have a responsibility to think about their future and how the decisions of the present could shape it both on and off the pitch.With just under two weeks left in the transfer window, speculation continues to swirl around their two brightest academy graduates since Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.Of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, both 19, it is Nwaneri’s future that appears less clear, with Lewis-Skelly focused on challenging for a spot in midfield after an impressive pre-season and Mikel Arteta saying on Thursday Lewis-Skelly would “100 per cent” would stay at Arsenal.The competition across the many positions Nwaneri can play puts him and Arsenal at a potential crossroads.His talent has been undeniable for years, shown in Mikel Arteta’s decision to make him the Premier League’s youngest-ever player aged 15 in 2022. Now, however, there is a need to push beyond talent. To establish himself as a true professional footballer.How Nwaneri meets that challenge will evoke an emotional reaction in anybody affiliated with the club.He was the first shining light of the club’s academy that threatened to break into Arteta’s first team, and brought an energy that the right side lacked in 2024-25. A player that offers something different in attacking areas, Nwaneri captured the imagination of those who were watching in a different way from most.Senior players marvelled at his finishing and crossing, while his sharp bursts away from defenders acted as a catalyst for Arsenal’s attacking play.Able to play across four positions due to his exposure across the width of the pitch with the under-18s and under-21s, the potential solutions Nwaneri could provide Arteta created excitement.Born just two miles from the Emirates, even with the subsequent rise of fellow attacking midfielder Max Dowman, Nwaneri’s story is meant to symbolise what Arsenal are about. CEO Richard Garlick was always going to be careful with his words when speaking publicly about the teenager’s future, admitting the club may consider an offer that is deemed ‘right’, but their preference for a loan move over a permanent sale is promising.Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly have broken through into the first team to varying degrees (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)The rationale behind any potential permanent sale being that academy players represent ‘pure profit’ on the books highlights the cold nature of the business of football. With each summer that passes, the identities of football clubs seem to get ripped further and further away with a supposed ‘need’ to sell young academy talent.Newcastle United’s sale of Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest two years ago to avoid profitability and sustainability (PSR) penalties, when both player and manager were against the move, is arguably the saddest example to date — even if the midfielder’s career has blossomed since.