Bukayo Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly are the pride of Arsenal’s academy.
The two Englishmen came through the ranks at Hale End, broke into the first team and have become regular starters. They are not just key players for Arsenal but for the England national team now too.
Saka, who is only 23, is the senior of the two players, but he still spends a lot of time with Lewis-Skelly away from the pitch.
The two Arsenal stars share a love for table tennis as well, and they got into an argument about that recently.
Bukayo Saka says he will ‘never’ praise Myles Lewis-Skelly again
Arsenal players had a lot of free time when they were on their pre-season tour of Asia.
The Gunners played two games in Singapore – against AC Milan and Newcastle United – and then faced Tottenham Hotspur in Hong Kong.
The focus was on training and getting ready for the new season, but Mikel Arteta allowed his men to have some fun behind the scenes as well.
Several Arsenal players played table tennis during their time off, and Bukayo Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly took each other on.
Saka admitted that the 18-year-old beat him in the last game they played, but he suggested that he had won the previous battle.
Bukayo Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly looking on during an Arsenal training session in the gym
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Lewis-Skelly appears to think he is the best among the group and said in a video released by Arsenal: “Bukayo is good. I think it’s a strong second between Bukayo and Ethan (Nwaneri).”
Saka was not having any of that. He replied: “What? No, no, no! I’m never singing your praises again. Forget about it, bro. That’s crazy.”
After a few laughs, Lewis-Skelly gave Saka some credit. He said: “I’ll be the person to say that Bukayo, he has a certain technique that’s hard to counteract, for example.
“He has a spin on his serve. A lot of people suffer with that. I’m going to be honest. People do suffer with that technique, including myself.”
Saka appreciated that and said, “Thank you, that’s an honest man,” and shook his hand.
Bukayo Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly share the same mentality
Saka has been a revelation for Arsenal over the years.
The Englishman made his debut under Unai Emery, but he was transformed by Arteta after he started using him in attack.
Saka has carried Arsenal on his back since Arteta’s arrival, and he is among the biggest reasons why the Gunners are challenging for the big trophies.
What makes Saka so good is not just his talent and ability but also his mentality. He is extremely competitive and always wants to win.
Lewis-Skelly shares the same mindset, and the two players arguing over a meaningless table tennis game shows you exactly that.