Arsenal are preparing to appeal the three-match suspension handed to midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly following his red card against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The young midfielder was sent off for a strong challenge on Wolves defender Matt Doherty in the first half of the match.
The red card, upheld by VAR, will see Lewis-Skelly miss crucial upcoming fixtures, including the highly anticipated clash against Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium.
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean believes Arsenal have grounds for an appeal.
“I think they’ve got grounds for appealing,” Dean said on Sky Sports News. “It’s just whether when the panel sits and reviews it – ex-managers and ex-players – which way will they go? I would think if they appeal, the way managers and players look at it, none of the players will think it’s a red card, so I think they may well win the appeal.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta acknowledged the possibility of an appeal, pointing to the successful appeal by Manchester United in the case of Bruno Fernandes earlier this season.
“Hopefully, we don’t need,” Arteta said. “If we have to, it’s a really good precedent with what happened with Bruno [Fernandes vs Tottenham Hotspur, when Manchester United successfully appealed his suspension] this season. Hopefully. Okay, we were in a position we shouldn’t have been in; at least let’s be in a position that we should be in for the next few weeks and allow our player to continue to do his job.”
The appeal decision will have a significant impact on Arsenal’s upcoming matches, including the League Cup semi-final against Newcastle United and a Premier League fixture against Leicester City.
