Mikel Arteta’s five-year Arsenal plan for Myles Lewis-Skelly pays out in gold | OneFootball

Teenage star’s precocious talent and fearless nature justifies hype in breakthrough season

Myles Lewis-Skelly has announced himself as one of the Premier League’s most exciting talents in recent weeks, but Mikel Arteta has been aware of the talented teenager since his first week as Arsenal manager back in December 2019.

Arteta had heard murmurings about Lewis-Skelly - and his best friend Ethan Nwaneri - before he was hired. The word was that Arsenal had two future stars on their hands and the hype around them was growing every year.

At the age of 11, agents were contacting Lewis-Skelly’s family. Twelve months later, he was being offered boot deals.

And so, once he was in post, one of Arteta’s first jobs was to summon Arsenal’s then Under-16 head coach Dan Micciche to his office to see what all the fuss was about.

‘Never afraid of no one’

Lewis-Skelly introduced himself by making his senior debut at Manchester City in September, but it was in the reverse fixture this month that he really announced his arrival.

After scoring his first goal for Arsenal in a 5-1 win, the 18-year-old mimicked the celebration of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland by crossing his legs and pretending to meditate next to the corner flag.

Lewis-Skelly announced himself to a wider audience when he mimicked Erling Haaland’s celebration after scoring against Manchester City

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Five months earlier, Lewis-Skelly had squared up to Haaland just moments after coming on for his debut. Haaland swiftly asked: “Who the f*** are you?” Well, he knows who Lewis-Skelly is now.

The feisty encounter summed up the fearless way Lewis-Skelly has approached this season. He has featured in more than half of Arsenal’s games and in December became the youngest player to start a Champions League match for the Gunners since 2011.

“Never afraid of no one,” said Lewis-Skelly last month. “I want to go against the best. I want to be the best.”

Arteta decided during Arsenal’s pre-season tour to the US last summer that Lewis-Skelly was ready for the first team.

There had been some talk of a loan move, but that was quickly ruled out. Lewis-Skelly had come through Arsenal’s academy as a midfielder, but Arteta believed he would get more minutes now as a left-back.

Arteta likes his full-backs to tuck into midfield, creating an overload, and he thought Lewis-Skelly’s qualities suited that.

The Spaniard is a fan of Lewis-Skelly because he is a fierce competitor, but he also values his willingness to learn. The teenager has not been afraid to ask questions of Arteta, analysts or other players as he learns a new position.

The hard work has paid off and Lewis-Skelly is probably Arsenal’s best left-back right now, which is remarkable given Arteta has seven players in his squad that can play there when fit.

Lewis-Skelly has established himself as a key player for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta this season

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Despite being only 18 and still changing with the academy players at the training ground, Lewis-Skelly has integrated himself into the first-team squad and become a popular figure.

“He can go to the top, this kid is just special, very special,” midfielder Declan Rice said this season. “For an 18-year-old to be that good, that comfortable, that strong - it is like he was built in a lab!”

Technique and power

Lewis-Skelly’s rise has coincided with that of his best friend, Nwaneri, who has also broken into the first-team this season.

The pair have been friends since they were six and trained at Chelsea together, before both joined Arsenal when they were eight.

They routinely played in older age groups. When they were 14, the duo made their debuts for Arsenal’s U18 side in the same game. They both scored.

“Myles and Ethan have gone hand in hand really,” says Micciche, who coached them for Arsenal’s U16 and U18 side. “They have always been spoken about as a pair, more so than in isolation.”

The pair have driven each other on. They quickly realised that they both shared the same goal - and talent - and it has created a unique bond between them.

“That’s what they said about the Class of ’92 at Manchester United with Eric Harrison,” says Micciche. “The quote was they pulled each other by the bootlaces and they drove each other on. We shouldn’t underestimate that in player development.”

Lewis-Skelly and best friend Ethan Nwaneri have risen through the ranks together at Arsenal

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Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri, however, are very different players. Lewis-Skelly shone at youth level in midfield, either playing as No6 or No8.

He was technically brilliant, but stood out physically, too. There is a clip from Arsenal’s ‘Inside Hale End’ documentary, where a 15-year-old Lewis-Skelly is playing up an age-group in an U16 game against Chelsea.

That blend of technique and power is evident in Lewis-Skelly’s game today, even when playing at left-back. In the 5-1 win over Manchester City, as well as scoring, he misplaced just three of his 30 passes.

Lewis-Skelly’s strength is key to that, but so is the way he moves his body. For someone so young, he is incredibly intelligent in the way he shields the ball and Rice has compared him to former Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele.

The next Ashley Cole?

Lewis-Skelly’s form makes him a contender to be named in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad next month.

Newcastle defender Lewis Hall is the frontrunner to start at left-back, but beyond that it is hard to call.

“Myles is still so young,” says Micciche. “He could end up being the next Ashley Cole, getting 100 caps for England, or he could end up going into midfield and playing there for 10 years.”

An England call-up would cap off a meteoric rise for Lewis-Skelly, but Arsenal won’t worry about it going to his head.

Those at the club speak of how grounded he is and that is down to his upbringing. From an early age, his family encouraged him to write gratitude notes as a way of appreciating what he has.

Myles Lewis-Skelly signs for Arsenal Academy Under 8's with coach Jack Wilshere at Arsenal Training Ground in 2015

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At 14, Arsenal wanted to tie him down to scholarship terms two years early. That was declined, not because Lewis-Skelly didn’t want to sign for Arsenal, but because his parents believed it would be more beneficial if he had two more years working towards a goal.

Lewis-Skelly became a scholar at 16, as is the conventional way, and on his 17th birthday signed his first professional contract with Arsenal.

Despite that, the teenager has continued with his studies. At the European U17 Championship in Hungary two years ago, Lewis-Skelly dedicated time to revise for his GCSEs.

He is now undertaking AS levels in business studies and Spanish. His Spanish teacher, Marta, visits Arsenal’s training ground three times a week and he brushes up in between lessons by practising with the Spanish speakers in Arsenal’s squad.

This season, Lewis-Skelly was presented with the Strong Young Gunners role model award by academy manager Per Mertesacker.

It was recognition for the impact he has had on young players at the club, with Lewis-Skelly setting an example by volunteering at the club’s community hub.

“With Myles, whatever we put in front of him he seems to be easy, comfortable and ready,” says Mertesacker. “If you respect that journey of up and down and stay as cool as possible in the challenging moments, you have a good chance.”