‘Special’ Arsenal talent warned against pressing Andrea Berta for shock Emirates exit | OneFootball

Former Arsenal defender Nacho Monreal has explained why Myles Lewis-Skelly should shut out all thoughts of a potential exit and remain in north London, although TEAMtalk has a slightly different take on the situation.

There has been mounting speculation that the 19-year-old could seek a move away from The Gunners in search of more game time ahead of next summer’s World Cup, especially after he was omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s most recent England squad.

Lewis-Skelly has made 12 appearances for Arsenal this season, but only four of them have been starts, with none in the Premier League. Indeed, he has totaled just 86 minutes of top-flight action so far.

Much of that is down to Riccardo Calafiori’s impressive performances at left-back but Monreal, who made more than 250 appearances for the Gunners in six seasons between 2013-19, admits he would sooner see Lewis-Skelly than the Italian in his old position and hopes the teenager stays put.

Monreal said: “I really like Lewis-Skelly. I think he’s one of the best left-backs. When he plays, when I see him, he’s something special. Of course, he’s not playing because Calafiori is playing so well.

“This is nothing against Calafiori, but Lewis-Skelly is different. When you see him play, you will see him most of the time in the middle of the game. He’s not a typical left-back.

“If I compare myself with Lewis-Skelly, I was more in the left side, go to the side, but he comes often into the middle. He’s really good technically, how he receives the ball, how he turns, how he’s always playing forward.

“So I don’t know if he’s going to be in the squad for the World Cup, because obviously if you want to be in the squad you need to play in your team. He’s not playing right now, but if we are talking only about his level, yes, he’s a top, top left-back. He’s going to make a lot of appearances as an Arsenal player, 100 percent.”

Why Lewis-Skelly has to consider Arsenal exit

As things stand, the only hope Lewis-Skelly has of starting regularly at Arsenal and going to the World Cup is if long-term injuries occur to Calafiori or Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly.

O’Reilly was outstanding in England’s World Cup qualifying wins over Serbia and Albania, and looks to have nailed down the position.

As for Calafiori, Mikel Arteta loves having as many centre-backs, converted or not, on the pitch as possible to double down on Arsenal’s set-piece threat.

And with The Gunners putting so much emphasis on what used to be considered those marginal gains, Lewis-Skelly is likely to be left on the bench more often than not going forward.

To that end, the 19-year-old should at the very least push for a loan exit in January to make sure he is starting regularly and well-positioned for an England return, should the opportunity arise.

As to whether Arsenal would be willing to let him go is another question entirely, especially with a Premier League title to fight for and the club also going strong in the Champions League.

Either way, Lewis-Skelly needs to be starting on a regular basis at this stage of his burgeoning career – so something has to give.

First up, Rodrygo wants to join Arsenal and work under Mikel Arteta should he have to leave Real Madrid in the January transfer window, according to a Spanish report, but Florentino Perez wants the Brazilian winger to team up with Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur instead.

Elsewhere, Gabriel Jesus’ days at the Emirates Stadium are numbered, with a report revealing that Gunners manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta are aiming to sign a Bundesliga marksman in the January transfer window.

And finally, Scott McTominay, the towering Scottish midfielder who’s redefined his career with his move to Serie A, finds himself at the centre of a brewing transfer saga, with sources revealing exactly what it will take to bring the player back to the Premier League in 2026.