Myles Lewis-Skelly has brought a smile to supporters after agreeing on a new deal with Arsenal.
Aged 17, the teenager signed on as a professional for the Gunners in October 2023, but the FA rules state that players under 18 cannot put pen to paper for an agreement that lasts longer than three years. As it stood, the summer of 2026 would have marked the end of his current contract with the club.
With a year to go until he would be a free agent, rivals could have been tempted to try and buy him. Reportedly, Real Madrid were among the teams that were interested in his signature, but the 18-year-old only had his eyes on staying where he is at and he is committing his future to his boyhood club.
This news follows the announcement that Gabriel Magalhaes signed a deal to stay in north London until 2029. **Arsenal**have now locked down the two standout players on the left side of the team: a statement that few would challenge now but would have been a surprise only nine months ago.
Though for those who have observed the player since his time at Hale End, this is not a surprise.
Lewis-Skelly starts his ascent
Lewis-Skelly spared opponents no grace from the day he arrived on the scene in senior football.
Engaging in the dark arts at the Etihad Stadium, he received a yellow card from **Michael Oliver**before he came on the field. Arteta asked him to take on some of the burden of bunkering down against the **Premier League**champions as the Gunners tried to hold onto their lead at Man City.
In the end, John Stones scored an equaliser. Then came the infamous incident: a confrontation spilt out between the two teams, and**Erling Haaland**quipped, "Who are you?" to the teenage substitute.
Everyone knows who Lewis-Skelly is now and he would not take long to bite back against that retort.
His first senior start came three days later in a 5-1 beating of Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup. His highlight was a line-breaking pass for Raheem Sterling in the buildup to a goal from fellow academy graduate Ethan Nwaneri. The attacker had been the brightest star from Hale End in line for a role in the first team, but things can change quickly if an individual is willing to seize the moment.
The 18-year-old had his name in lights after his Champions League debut against Monaco. Another audacious piece of play pulled open the defence as **Arsenal**scored the first of three goals on the night.
He had impressed enough to earn a start in the **Premier League**for the first time against Everton. Consecutive starts followed against Crystal Palace and **Ipswich Town**— all in the unfamiliar role of left back for a player who had plied his trade as a midfielder in youth football. December was a month to remember for a player who could have had no idea of what would be in store for him in the new year.
From academy prospect to integral first teamer
Lewis-Skelly starred in his first ever North London derby as **Arsenal**defeated **Tottenham**2-1 at the Emirates Stadium. The new darling of the fanbase, his arc would come full circle in their presence.
If there were still going to be any hopes of getting the league title, **Arsenal**had to take all three points against the fallen champions at the start of February. They pulled out all the stops with an emphatic 5-1 rout and the teenager netted the third of those goals, mimicking the meditation pose of Haaland.
But the dreams would go unfulfilled. **Liverpool**ran away with the **Premier League**crown, **Man United**had knocked the side out of the **FA Cup**and the Gunners exited the final four of the Carabao Cup to Newcastle United. In a season of stagnation, he was one of the few clear-cut positives.
The **Champions League**left the only hope of silverware for the first time since 2020. On the biggest stage in European football, the 18-year-old seldom seemed fazed by the meaning of the cup campaign.
He and Nwaneri linked up for the second of seven strikes at PSV Eindhoven, marking the first time that two English teenagers have combined for a goal in the Champions League. In the first leg of the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, his initiative came close to assisting Gabriel Martinelli.
Maybe most notably of all, he shone in the two wins against Real Madrid in the quarter final. Kylian Mbappe gave him room to play, and the teenager toyed with the reigning champions.
Offensively, the left side of the field has frequently come under fire in the last two years. Defensively, left back has been the problem position for the best defence in the **Premier League**in the same period. Lewis-Skelly seems the best solution to both issues, and he has highlighted his worth at the highest level in a moment when expectations have been even less forgiving for the first team.
A resilient respondent to early career challenges
To top it all off, Lewis-Skelly had a dream debut for **England**in March. Thomas Tuchel started him on the left of the back four against **Albania**in his first match as manager of the Three Lions, and he repaid the faith with the opening goal of the game. There seems to be no bounds to how far he can go.
What makes the 18-year-old an even more special player is how he has risen above adversity.
Against Wolverhampton Wanderers, he got a red card that would have ruled him out against Man City, but the FA rescinded that decision. He was lucky not to see a second yellow card in the first leg against PSV, coming off after 35 minutes, and he gave away a penalty against **Everton**in early April.
None of these moments are unusual for a player in his first season of senior football. However, these incidents are part of a bigger tale that has been told, calling into question the character of the teenager.
His confidence came across as cockiness and arrogance to his critics after the celebration against the Citizens. Indeed, there are times when the balance between risk and reward has tipped the wrong way.
He got his marching orders for good when a dribble went wrong against West Ham United, and the trip to the **Parc des Princes**was one of the few times he has appeared to overdo things on the ball. But it is one thing to back oneself as a player and another thing altogether to be a bad egg in the dressing room. Lewis-Skelly should be admired for his bravery, not hounded for his self-belief.
But truth be told: he does not seem to care. As one of six candidates for the PFA Young Player of the Year, he has the respect of his peers. No top player has been a success without self-assurance in their strengths and with the grounding of his mother in the background, he has the platform to go to the top.