At a Glance:
- Myles Lewis-Skelly’s recent performance against Fulham impressed many
- Darren Bent complimented the youngster, but said he should be dropped against Atletico.
- Arsenal may part ways with Lewis-Skelly at the end of the season despite his potential
Arsenal’s midfield this season, when all three have been healthy, has almost exclusively consisted of Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and Martin Zubimendi.
This has meant that players who can operate within the Gunners’ midfield, such as Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, have struggled for game-time. Nwaneri is now on loan at Marseille, while Lewis-Skelly has seen limited minutes come his way throughout the year.
However, Lewis-Skelly’s recent start in holding midfield against Fulham in his team’s 3-0 win impressed many and earned him an 8/10 match rating from Read Arsenal—leaving fans wondering why he hasn’t been involved more in Mikel Arteta’s plans in 2025/26.
One Premier League great disagrees with the idea that the 19-year-old should be a starter, though, ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid at the Emirates next week.
READ MORE: Jakub Kiwior wins league title during Arsenal loan spell
Darren Bent says Martin Zubimendi should start vs Atletico, not Myles Lewis-Skelly
Voicing his thoughts on Premier League Live, Darren Bent made it clear that Martin Zubimendi’s experience is essential to a game as important as a Champions League semi-final.
“Zubimendi will probably come back in [to the starting 11] because he’s the more senior player,” said Bent, taking in to consideration the Spaniard’s 35 Premier League appearances compared to Lewis-Skelly’s 17.
Despite this, Bent was highly complimentary towards the Hale End product and his most recent appearance at the Emirates, following up by saying:
“I think the manager [Mikel Arteta] will be looking at [Myles Lewis-Skelly’s] performance vs Fulham thinking ‘Do you know what?’ If a game’s going on against Atletico and it’s not quite working, he’ll have no doubts whatsoever [to put Lewis-Skelly on]. He knows he’s good enough to play in there, go and play.”
“That’s not just a normal performance… [Lewis-Skelly] is capable of playing there, that was a top-level performance against Fulham.”
Myles Lewis-Skelly may not be a part of Arsenal’s future despite his talent—and Arsenal could regret it
Despite reports earlier in the year that Arsenal could end up selling academy products Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly to fund a big summer transfer, it might be naive to give up on two teenagers with much still to prove.
Lewis-Skelly provides not only midfield depth, but also can deputise as a left-back, which he has done intermittently this year to cover for often-injured Riccardo Calafiori.
Valued currently at £30 million by Transfermarkt with his all-time peak being £39 million, Arteta and higher-ups at Arsenal would perhaps be better to wait for the youngster to develop.
