Soccer
What to do with Myles Lewis-Skelly's Arsenal future
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Arsenal will go into the new Premier League season looking to do something they've never done previously in the Premier League era, and that's win back-to-back championships.
Yet, the Gunners may never have a better chance of retaining the title when you look at the landscape of the upcoming campaign.
With all of their rivals under new management and almost in transitional periods, Arsenal's settled side has only grown stronger with the addition of Bruno Guimaraes to their multi-talented squad.
However, the Brazilian's rival does put the spotlight on one small concern amongst the North London ranks and that is the role that Myles Lewis-Skelly may have in Mikel Arteta's plans.
Once lauded as the future left-back for club and country, the 19-year-old's path has become cloudier over the past 12 months, so what does the future hold for the teenager?
Burst onto the scene
Bursting onto the scene has become somewhat of a full-back trope, but it was very much true for Lewis-Skelly upon his introduction to the Arsenal team.
After receiving minutes against both Manchester City and Liverpool, he became a regular at left-back following his first start for the club against Everton in December 2025.
The teenager quickly made the position his own, missing only two games for the rest of the season and the belief was the Gunners had unearthed another gem in the left-back role.
So much so, he was fasttracked by new England boss Thomas Tuchel too. Making his senior debut in the German's first game in charge and scored the opener in the 2-0 win over Albania.
He'd play in six games for the Three Lions that year, and it looked as though he was being earmarked to be the side's first-choice left-back ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Yet, as the cliché goes, Lewis-Skelly's second season at The Emirates didn't go as planned.
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Trying to repeat the trick
In the first half of last season the defender remained part of the first-team scene, but starts became increasingly harder and harder to find for the player.
With Riccardo Calafiori back and fit and the signing of Piero Hincapie, their experience was preferred to the exuberance of Lewis-Skelly and he very much became a squad member.
In fact, from January to March, he failed to make it off the bench for the Gunners and over the course of the season made just five league starts, compared to 15 in his maiden campaign.
His infrequent appearances meant he lost his England place too, where once he seemed destined to go to the States, Lewis-Skelly failed to make a single squad in 2026 and by March was back with the Under-21s.
However, last term wasn't all a regression. He of course, became a Premier League winner as Arsenal triumphed, and a late-season recall, only this time in midfield, gave a glimpse of where his future may actually lie.
His impressive last run in Arsenal's engine room saw him start the Champions League final and hope that possibly a new role in 2026-27 could turn the tide back in his favour.
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Stick or twist
Now we're at that point, and Lewis-Skelly faces the latest obstacle in the arrival of Bruno Guimaraes. A seasoned Premier League name, in the position he thought may have been his.
With four competitions to compete in, there's no doubt he'll see minutes, but it's starts and purpose that the teenager will want if his future is still in North London.
With the World Cup meaning late arrivals for Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze as well as winners Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino, there will be an early opportunity for him to stake his claim, but where does he sit in the pecking order when all the big guns are back and firing?
It's no secret that Manchester United have long been admirers of the player and are in the process of reshaping their midfield, so they would be a keen taker if reports are to be believed and Arsenal would be willing to sell one of their own.
There are also suggestions that the player has been offered to Chelsea too, with the prospect of the Gunners gaining pure profit on the graduate if they were to sell - something that's become increasingly more important for sustainability in recent years.
Ultimately, it already feels like a crossroads moment for the player, before he's even turned 20, but one he has to get right.
Recent impressive showings in the pre-season friendlies against Real Betis and Girona are further proof of his talent, but has it been enough to nail down a place long term?
And if it's not, will he benefit more by moving away from what he knows to ensure a new and improved future elsewhere?
How to watch the Premier League in Canada
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