After Myles Lewis-Skelly signs a new contract with Arsenal, football writer Adrian Clarke looks at what makes the teenage Gunner such an exciting talent, and what we can expect to see from him in 2025/26.
Myles Lewis-Skelly only made his full Premier League debut in mid-December, yet no one is surprised at his nomination for the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
That shows how much startling progress the 18-year-old has made in 2025.
He has excelled as an inverted left-back for Arsenal to such a degree that his intelligent, forceful approach is now an integral part of Mikel Arteta’s style of play.
Myles Lewis-Skelly: 'I want a legacy here'
Playing out of position
What makes Lewis-Skelly’s sudden rise to prominence extra special, is the fact he is not a natural left-back.
He played as a central defender for his school team, but at Arsenal's Hale End academy he was always regarded as a dynamic, ball-carrying central midfielder.
As recently as January 2024, Lewis-Skelly spoke about his preferred position on the official Arsenal website, and there was no reference at all to playing on the left side.
Still an Under-18s star at that point, he told the club channel, "My best position is either a No 6 or No 8. I’m not too sure yet, but I’m just continuing to try my best to master both. Whatever it takes, I’m ready to play in the [No] 6 or [No] 8 role.
"Every time I look at Declan Rice, I’m watching him and looking to see how he’s at the top of his game. What he’s good at, I can use it in my game and try to reach the top."
After that interview was published Arsenal began to experiment with Lewis-Skelly as an inverted left-back late on in the 2023/24 campaign for their U18s and Under-21s sides.
This was in preparation for him being used in that position at senior level, as manager Arteta explained earlier this year.
"The moment that I saw him, the only way I could think was to change his position," said Arteta.
"I spoke to him and said I think this is where you’re going to have it [a first-team opportunity], because I think it fits a lot of his qualities, the way we play, and it fits because we had necessities in the position. So, we started to work on that."
An injury crisis at left-back last autumn left Arteta short of options, and ever since Lewis-Skelly's debut as a late sub at Manchester City on 22 September, that is where Arsenal supporters have seen him perform.
The back story
Lewis-Skelly was born in Denmark Hill in south London, but his family moved north of the river early in his childhood.
He was a gifted tennis player with potential, but his talent as a young footballer quickly caught eye of several scouts, and after trials with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, he chose to join Arsenal at the age of eight.
In the same intake was Ethan Nwaneri, and the pair grew up together at the Hale End academy, becoming close friends, pushing one another to improve.
He revelled in Adam Birchall’s sides (current head coach of Arsenal U18s) at Under-13s, Under-14s and Under-15s level, elevating his status to a player of great potential.
Then under Jack Wilshere, Lewis-Skelly was a part of the Arsenal U18s side that reached the 2022/23 FA Youth Cup final. Only 16 at the time, he scored a last-minute semi-final winner against Man City at the Emirates Stadium to send the young Gunners into the final, which they lost to West Ham United.
He has been part of the England set-up since he was 14, representing his country at the 2023 Under-17s Euros and the 2023 U17s World Cup in Indonesia.
And in March this year he made his senior England debut in a World Cup qualifier against Albania.
Ahead of that match, England head coach Thomas Tuchel said of Lewis-Skelly: "I understand why everyone loves the boy – a big character and very talented player. He is ready to go."
Lewis-Skelly proved that point in emphatic style, scoring a 20th-minute opener in a 2-0 win to become the youngest England debutant to score for his country, aged just 18 years and 176 days.
What Lewis-Skelly's team-mates say about him
What makes him so special?
Lewis-Skelly uses his body remarkably well, and this makes him incredibly hard to knock off the ball.
The Arsenal youngster can dominate opposition wingers, or any central midfielders he encounters infield, and is fearless, determined and strong beyond his years.
Remarkably, Nottingham Forest’s towering central defender Nikola Milenkovic was the only Premier League outfielder to boast more success in his duels than Lewis-Skelly last season.
It is borderline ridiculous for a teenager to be near the top of this list at all.
Most successful duels won 24/25*
| Player | Duel success % |
| Nikola Milenkovic | 70.22 |
|---|---|
| Myles Lewis-Skelly | 69.70 |
| Ezro Konsa | 68.97 |
| Virgil van Dijk | 68.65 |
| Cameron Burgess | 68.42 |
*Minimum 15 starts
He is not just strong, but also technically outstanding.
Lewis-Skelly is able to stay calm under pressure, is press-resistant, and with Arteta trusting him to receive the ball in tight areas, he is regularly tested when Arsenal hold possession.
He rarely misplaces a pass, keeps his distribution short and simple, and is not afraid to move it through the lines either.
Lewis-Skelly's pass accuracy numbers are phenomenal for someone with such limited experience.
Highest passing accuracy 24/25*
| Player | Passing accuracy % |
| William Saliba | 94.58% |
|---|---|
| Manuel Akanji | 94.08% |
| Ruben Dias | 93.76% |
| Curtis Jones | 93.67% |
| Myles Lewis-Skelly | 93.55% |
*Minimum 15 starts
As you can see on this distribution map (below) he frequently comes into central midfield to help the Gunners in the build-up phase.
In central areas he barely gave the ball away all season.
Lewis-Skelly 24/25 pass map
Lewis-Skelly is not the kind of left-back who flies around the outside to deliver crosses on the overlap from advanced areas.
Instead, he likes to link play with others and drive forward with the ball at his feet.
Using his natural power to great effect, he regularly made long, marauding dribbles into the opposition half last season.
Lewis-Skelly is the division’s best defender when it comes to making progressive ball carries and rides challenges for fun.
Most progressive ball carries by defender 24/25
| Player | Avg. progressive ball carry |
| Myles Lewis-Skelly | 12.9m |
|---|---|
| Destiny Udogie | 12.7m |
| Djed Spence | 12.6m |
| Andy Robertson | 12.5m |
| Ola Aina | 12.5m |
Rival players consistently got frustrated having to deal with the teenage talent in 2024/25.
Finding it hard to snatch the ball away from him, Lewis-Skelly was fouled 3.09 times per 90 minutes in his debut campaign.
Only two Premier League players won more free-kicks on average.
In so many ways, the youngster provides added benefits to Arsenal’s starting XI.
Most fouls won per 90 mins 24/25*
| Player | Fouls won/90 |
| Jordan Ayew | 3.19 |
|---|---|
| James Maddison | 3.17 |
| Myles Lewis-Skelly | 3.09 |
| Bruno Guimaraes | 2.96 |
| John McGinn | 2.78 |
*Minimum 15 starts
Highlight so far
During an unbelievable 2025 for Lewis-Skelly, featuring a string of outstanding performances, his first Arsenal goal stands out as the highlight at club level.
Dancing into the box before firing a powerful shot into the corner, his strike against Man City in a 5-1 win – and subsequent celebration – made headline news.
He is sure to score plenty more for the Gunners.
A grounded young star
Lewis-Skelly’s future is likely to be inside Arsenal’s midfield, and we could see him used there more often in 2025/26.
His composure on the ball, neat passing, physicality and ball-carrying skills make him ideally suited to operate in either the No 6 or No 8 roles he imagined himself playing in.
For now though, he seems very happy to develop his game as a left-back and there will be no complaints from him about playing in that position.
Lewis-Skelly is grounded and has been studying Spanish and Business Studies at AS Level in his spare time.
He also supports his mum, Marcia, with the No 1 Fan Club she launched in 2022 - an initiative aimed at providing support, education and a community for parents whose children are involved at football academies.
On and off the pitch, Lewis-Skelly is a talented, likeable individual with an exceptionally bright future ahead of him.
