Mikel Arteta has made his midfield selection for today’s Leeds game.
Declan Rice starts, as he almost always does. But alongside him, it is Myles Lewis-Skelly who gets the nod ahead of Bruno Guimaraes — the £75million summer signing who has started just one Premier League game so far this season.
That Brighton performance, where he lost the ball nine times and was the first player substituted, clearly weighed on Arteta’s thinking. Martin Zubimendi, meanwhile, continues to wait patiently for his opportunity in the league.
One of Arteta’s former Arsenal teammates Theo Walcott has weighed in on the midfield dilemma. Speaking on his TikTok live before kick-off, he had a fairly hot take.
“Do you feel like both Bruno and Declan play together?” he asked viewers, before giving his opinion. “I love a bit of Myles, because Myles does all the work that Declan doesn’t want to do at times, so Declan can kind of be a bit more free. I think he’s more of a number eight.”
Arteta may have regretted taking Lewis-Skelly out of the side for the Brighton match, particularly after the way that game went. Every match the England midfielder has started for the Gunners so far this season, they have won. He is in scintillating form, and he continued that during the international break.
Fans cannot agree on Arsenal’s best midfield pairing
Walcott is essentially arguing that his profile complements Rice more naturally than Guimaraes does right now. Arsenal fans, discussing the matter on TalkingPoints, are divided on the matter.
Some believe Rice and Guimaraes is Arsenal’s best pairing, with some even thinking it is clear-cut. Guimaraes scored that stunning 25-yarder against Sunderland showing his world-class quality, and a number of fans think the sooner they get him up to speed alongside Rice, the better.
But others are more cautious and even siding with Walcott. You can’t ignore form, and right now, Lewis-Skelly has played himself into undroppable standing. He should be rewarded with that, and for the Leeds game, at least, he has been.