Photo by Pedro Porru/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Pedro Porru/MB Media/Getty Images
Myles Lewis-Skelly has been one of Arsenal’s standout performers this season.
The 19-year-old started all four of Arsenal’s opening Premier League games, all of which Arsenal won, and his form was rewarded with an England call-up for the first time in over a year. Since his reintegration into the midfield in last season’s title run-in, he has been a constant, reliable presence in the midfield, which is arguably the best in the country.
So when Mikel Arteta made the decision to start Bruno Guimaraes ahead of him at Brighton, following the Brazilian’s game-changing cameo against Sunderland, it felt like a big call, albeit one we were probably expecting. It didn’t work out.
Guimaraes lost the ball nine times and was the first player substituted, with Arsenal fans united in their verdict that Lewis-Skelly should have started. Paul Merson said Guimaraes was ‘miles off it’.
That selection decision will no doubt be revisited when Arsenal return from the international break to face Leeds. Does Arteta revert to Lewis-Skelly? It will be one of the most interesting selection calls of the season so far, given the money spent on Guimaraes in the summer.
But despite the clear in-house competition between the two players, what Lewis-Skelly himself has said about Guimaraes says a lot about the culture Arteta has built.
Myles Lewis-Skelly is ‘super happy’ he can learn from Bruno Guimaraes
Speaking to Men in Blazers, Lewis-Skelly was asked about the £75million summer signing and has high praise for his teammate.
“Bruno brings energy, experience, intensity,” he said. “When I heard he was joining, I was super happy because that’s someone to learn from. That’s someone to pick their brain because he’s another winner.
“He’s someone that plays in a similar position to you, so you can always learn from him. Being a sponge to Bruno is going to be really impactful.”
With Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, and Mikel Merino also competing for those midfield spots, Arsenal have a stacked engine room. Lewis-Skelly’s comments suggest this is only a good thing, and that they can all push each other.
Guimaraes’ poor display at Brighton warrants being dropped, just as his Sunderland performance warranted coming into the starting XI. We don’t anticipate that this will be the only time this conversation comes up this season. We will probably see both coming in and out frequently, given the level of the two.