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What has happened to Myles Lewis-Skelly with Mikel Arteta and Arsenal facing big questions
football.london discuss what has happened to Myles Lewis-Skelly's career at Arsenal and what the outcome should be
View ImageOn Thursday, reports emerged which suggested the youngster has become a potential transfer target for Manchester United. football.london reported earlier this month that several top clubs had been monitoring his situation ahead of a potential summer move.
His close friend and teammate, Ethan Nwaneri, is currently on loan with Marseille, and this could be a pathway explored next season. It is worth remembering that the player only signed a long-term deal with the club last summer, which will keep him at the club for another four years without Arsenal accepting a significant fee.
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There is a feeling that several players at Arsenal will be the subject of offers this summer, and the club are willing to listen to figures they deem reflect their players’ value. The club wish to invest again, but unlike in 2025, there is not the same level of financial freedom to spend without ensuring both room is made in the squad for incomings and subsequently any players leaving bring in sufficient funds to give the club the ability to spend.
Mikel Arteta has faced some scrutiny this season for the lack of minutes afforded to Lewis-Skelly, particularly in midfield. With the arrival of Piero Hincapie and, in addition, Riccardo Calafiori’s improved availability and good form, the left-back role has become almost impossible to make his own like it was last season.
That being said, Lewis-Skelly has still made 27 appearances, averaging more than 45 minutes per game. He has started six of the Gunners’ ten Champions League games, including against Inter Milan in San Siro and at the Emirates Stadium against Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich.
The argument that he “isn’t trusted” is hard to take seriously when these are the games that Arteta is using him in. The reality is that Calafiori and Hincapie have both got seniority, experience and quality above the youngster as things stand.
This isn’t to say Lewis-Skelly is not good enough; he would likely start for plenty of the clubs in the Premier League, but for a side looking to win a title and multiple other competitions, that, at the moment, is simply not realistic with the current setup.
What criticism perhaps has validity is when Lewis-Skelly might’ve got some more minutes. Why hasn’t the Hale End graduate come on in more games this season?
Well, looking a bit deeper, there is even an explanation for that. Lewis-Skelly has been an unused substitute in 16 Premier League games.
These will be where criticisms of Arteta stem from and why he’s not been brought on. However, when you look at all the 16 games, 12 of them were either defeats, draws or won by a single goal.
The other four were the 2-0 win over Brentford when Bukayo Saka scored the second in the 91st minute, and the recent 2-0 win over Everton, which again saw two late winners scored.
In the 3-0 win over Sunderland, where the second goal came in the 66th minute, Piero Hincapie replaced Calafiori, and Norgaard replaced Trossard, with all five substitutes being used.
Finally, the 4-1 win over Tottenham is certainly a game where an unused fifth substitute wasn’t used, and this is perhaps the only game where an argument could be made that Lewis-Skelly should have got on.
Lewis-Skelly’s defensive abilities have somewhat come into question, particularly after his struggles against Bayern earlier in the campaign and after coming on against Chelsea to replace the carded Calafiori and getting booked himself almost immediately.
In a season with the margins so fine, it is clear that it does not support Lewis-Skelly getting more minutes than he does at this moment in time. There are two players at left-back and several in midfield who are being leaned on, and understandably so.
With Calafiori’s injury history and Hincapie’s four-year head start on him, a smarter move would be to move somewhere on loan next season, where game time is guaranteed. Raising both his stock and his value while also developing in the areas that give him a better chance to play.
The question will be whether he can overcome the disappointment of this season’s drop from the previous campaign, and also not take it personally and let it affect his outlook on his place in Arteta’s team. At this level, nothing is given, nothing owed and everything is earned, and now he needs to go earn it and prove why he should play.
Tom Canton joined football.london as the Arsenal Fan Brand Writer and Presenter before becoming a permanent Arsenal Reporter in 2025. Tom produces plenty of analytical content in addition to breaking stories and is a regular attendee at matches and press conferences. Can also be found on YouTube @TheGoonerTalkTV
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