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News
- 33 minutes ago
Myles Lewis-Skelly: How forgotten Arsenal wonderkid has been made redundant for England's World Cup
Suraj Radia
- Updated: 22 Feb 2026 15:02 GMT
- 6 min read
Analysis
One year ago, Arsenal and England thought they had found a new breakout star in Myles Lewis-Skelly but the youngster has become a forgotten figure this season and has fallen behind his rivals for a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s 2026 World Cup squad.
Lewis-Skelly only made his senior debut for Arsenal in September 2024 and eventually forced his way into Mikel Arteta’s first team after impressing as an emergency left-back option.
Current ETV
Myles Lewis-Skelly
D (L), M (C)
Arsenal
Myles Lewis-Skelly
D (L), M (C)
Arsenal
ETV Range
€50.8M - €62.1M
Up until then, the 19-year-old had primarily come through Arsenal’s academy as a midfielder but injuries saw Lewis-Skelly thrust into the limelight at the deep end and the teenager passed his test with flying colours.
Lewis-Skelly went onto make 23 appearances in his first ever top-flight season and he was even nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, such was his impressive form in his unfamiliar role.
Having also scored on his first ever senior England appearance in March 2025 to become the youngest player to ever net on his Three Lions debut, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Lewis-Skelly was going to be an undisputed starter for club and country going forward.
But Lewis-Skelly has made just one league start this season and his fall-off was emphasised by his England rivals in Lewis Hall and Nico O’Reilly starring this weekend to overtake the Arsenal youngster’s standing and raise questions about his future.
Young English left-backs benefitting from Lewis-Skelly decline
It’s easy to forget that Lewis-Skelly was only drafted into Arsenal’s line-up after Riccardo Calafiori’s injury-plagued campaign which saw the €45 million signing make just 11 league starts in his debut season.
The Italian has since largely shaken off his injury issues to become Arteta’s first-choice left-back once again, leaving Lewis-Skelly out in the cold.
However, Calafiori has still missed seven league matches this season, yet Arteta has preferred to call on summer arrival Piero Hincapie to deputise at the expense of Lewis-Skelly, leading to the youngster playing just 313 minutes of Premier League football this year.
The lack of game time has come at a cost for Lewis-Skelly’s England credentials despite already being capped six times in his short career, with the defender missing out on the most recent call-ups in November and unlikely to be named in the squads next month.
More importantly, this season has seen the continued blossoming of Hall at Newcastle despite injury struggles of his own, while O’Reilly has also proven a revelation at left-back for Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.
Both players came head-to-head with each other this weekend and found themselves on the scoresheet, with O’Reilly’s brace giving City a 2-1 win over Newcastle despite Hall’s equaliser with his first Premier League goal for the club.
O’Reilly, in particular, thrived in midfield against the Magpies and offered the same versatility that Lewis-Skelly offers, all while proving to be an undroppable figure for Guardiola and City.
With both players also having been capped by Tuchel in the last year, the duo look likely to form England’s left-back options for summer World Cup ahead of a disappointed Lewis-Skelly.
What next for Myles Lewis-Skelly?
Arsenal have received significant interest in Lewis-Skelly since his rise, with Real Madrid having pushed hard for the teenager prior to him signing a new five-year deal in June.
The likes of Chelsea and Manchester United would still love to sign the left-back but Arsenal have shown no desire to sell Lewis-Skelly, or indeed even loan him out, to some raised eyebrows.
Having sent another breakout star in Ethan Nwaneri on loan to Marseille in January for the remainder of the season, there had been interest from many teams in taking Lewis-Skelly on loan.
However, with Arsenal having a history of lacking depth in the crunch periods of a title race, Arteta was unwilling to allow the youngster to leave for first team minutes even if it would have done wonders for his England chances.
Instead, Lewis-Skelly could finish the season a Premier League winner if Arsenal see out their position, although it may feel like a hollow prize given his limited involvement and potentially missing out on the World Cup in the process.
Of course, Lewis-Skelly is still young with his whole career ahead of him and plenty of tournaments to come, so there is no need to panic just yet.
However, this summer will prove pivotal to ensure that there is not another wasted season for one of Arsenal’s brightest youngsters and to get himself back into contention for club and country.
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