If Chelsea sign Myles Lewis-Skelly from Arsenal, Xabi Alonso will have to decide whether to play the teenager in midfield or at left-back.
England manager Thomas Tuchel during a World Cup press conference.
England manager Thomas Tuchel during a World Cup press conference.(Image: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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Thomas Tuchel has previously told Xabi Alonso how to get the best out of Myles Lewis-Skelly. The Arsenal midfielder has recently been linked with a move to Chelsea as Andrea Berta looks to raise funds following the signing of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United.
football.london understands that the Blues have been offered the chance to sign Lewis-Skelly, whose contract at the Emirates Stadium expires in June 2030. The Gunners could be tempted into selling the Hale End graduate if they receive a good offer, having only raked in about £50m from player sales since last summer.
Chelsea have been closely monitoring Lewis-Skelly for a while, but it remains to be seen whether or not they submit a bid. The 19-year-old was first deployed as a left-back when he burst onto the scene a couple of years ago, but he returned to the middle of the park towards the end of last term.
Lewis-Skelly made such a good impression that he earned a place in the double pivot alongside Declan Rice for the Champions League semi-final second leg and the final. It took Mikel Arteta a while to regularly deploy the teenager in midfield, but not Tuchel.
Back in March 2025, the former Chelsea boss named Lewis-Skelly in the England squad for the first time ahead of two World Cup qualifiers. The Arsenal youngster marked his first start for the Three Lions at Wembley with a goal, finding the net in a 2-0 win over Albania.
He became the youngest player to score on his senior England debut. Speaking to reporters after the game, Tuchel explained why Lewis-Skelly should be utilised as a midfielder rather than a left-back.
"The second half, he played as a No.8 because we wanted to take more risks and have a little bit closer connection between the players," said the Three Lions gaffer. "The first half we played in a 4-1 and 4-1 up front.
Myles Lewis-Skelly has been the subject of interest from Chelsea and Manchester United after impressive end to the season with Arsenal
Myles Lewis-Skelly has been the subject of interest from Chelsea and Manchester United after impressive end to the season with Arsenal(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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"He played more conventional and scored more from there. In the second half, he played as a No.8 or No.10. I think his very best position is where he plays for Arsenal in the left double-six, the double-six inverted role."
Tuchel continued: "He’s a fantastic footballer. If you see him in possession games in training, the level of first touch, the quality of first touch, the quality of body movement, how he opens up his body, how he plays the passes, he has a very high understanding of the game; it comes very natural to him.
"He’s very versatile, and I think he can do a lot of things. We tried to play more conventional today because it’s easier to learn, we have many players from many different clubs, he did very well because he can adapt because he understands very quickly."
If Chelsea manage to agree a deal with Arsenal, Alonso has it on good authority that Lewis-Skelly should be deployed in the middle of the park and not the backline...