Despite the fact that Arsenal sit second in the Premier League table and are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, this has been one of the hardest seasons of Mikel Arteta’s managerial career to date.
It all started with the bizarre red card for Declan Rice against Brighton in the early stages of the campaign, sent off for kicking the ball away.
From that moment, not a lot has gone Arsenal’s way. The Gunners saw Leandro Trossard also sent off for kicking the ball away against Man City, William Saliba give away a penalty for grazing heads with Joao Pedro in the return fixture against Brighton and a whole host of injuries.
Bukayo Saka has been missing since December, Martin Odegaard endured a few months out with an ankle problem, while Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz – the club’s only centre forwards – are out for the season.
How’s ya luck, Mikel? Not very good apparently.
Still, there has been one positive, and that’s that Arsenal may have found their answer to the Granit Xhaka question.
How Arsenal can fill their Granit Xhaka void
After the Switzerland international left the Emirates Stadium behind in 2023 after a career-best season in the final third, there weren’t too many worries about the future of his position.
Kai Havertz – a £65m signing from Chelsea – was initially bought to fill the midfield vacancy but has become a striker – while Declan Rice, the mega £105m addition, has been moved further forward into the left 8 role in 2024/25. The trouble with Rice is that his right-footedness brings him inside more than you’d like from that role.
The other solution has been Mikel Merino who was also signed with the goal of improving their play on the left side of the pitch. Left-footed and a duel-winning machine, the signs looked bright before he’d taken to the field but the Spaniard hasn’t truly kicked on in his debut campaign. In fact, like Havertz, he’s looked more vibrant when playing as the central striker.
Then you have Oleksandr Zinchenko, who let’s be honest, hasn’t been given a fair chance in his natural midfield position.
The Ukrainian showed against PSV in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie that he’s still a cracking central midfielder, scoring the opening goal in beautiful fashion.
While Rice is intelligent enough and has the mentality to keep improving in the left 8 role, perhaps it’s Myles Lewis-Skelly who could fill that role in due course.
Arsenal's new Granit Xhaka and Jack Wilshere hybrid
Arsenal spent the best part of £200m on the trio of Rice, Havertz and Merino. It’s rather typical, therefore, that the solution may come from the academy, thus not costing Arteta and Co a single penny.
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That’s because 18-year-old superstar, Lewis-Skelly, a young individual described as “fearless” by Rice, looks like he could be the future of Arsenal’s midfield.
The teenager has broken through as a left-back this term and has done seriously well, notably scoring against Manchester City and then finding the back of the net on his England debut against Albania last Friday too.
However, despite being so impressive in that role, his future should lie in midfield. He’s a midfielder by trade and it’s helped him play that inverted left-back position to perfection.
He comes into central pockets, can evade the press and he’s also got a pass in his locker too. In short, the youngster pretty much has everything you want from a player looking to fill the Xhaka void. Crucially, he’s left-footed and forward-thinking too.
Like Xhaka, he’s a particularly progressive passer, notably making 4.38 progressive passes per 90 in the top flight this term. For context, the Swiss midfielder made 5.89 during his final season in the Premier League. The caveat for Lewis-Skelly is that he’s playing further back, meaning his numbers should rise if given more license in the final third.
That said, there’s also a bit of Jack Wilshere to the Arsenal teen, and that’s not just because they’ve both come through the Hale End academy.
Matches played
14
Matches started
9
Minutes per game
55
Goals
1
Assists
0
Accurate passes
94%
Tackles per game
1.4
Ball recoveries per game
2.2
Errors leading to shot/goal
0
Duels won per game
3.9
Red cards
2
Wilshere – like Lewis-Skelly – is left-footed and they both move in a very similar way. The former had the ability to change speed in an instant to burst past a player and his close control was exquisite, making it incredibly hard for anyone to get the ball from him.
As a result, he was fouled more times per 90 minutes (3.6) than any other Premier League player in the 2017/18 campaign. The Englishman’s career average was at 1.7 times per game. Compare that to Lewis-Skelly; he has been fouled 1.6 times per game, the second-highest rate at Arsenal behind only Bukayo Saka (2 times per game) throughout 2024/25.
They possess that difficult-to-teach art of inviting a foul and manipulating their body to initiate contact and drag the ball away from their opponent before they can nip in and win it.
Already boasting 26 first-team appearances to his name this term, the future is certainly bright for Lewis-Skelly, a player who boasts the best traits of both Xhaka and Wilshere.
Of anyone in this squad, he looks like the most natural successor to the left 8 role. Make it happen, Arteta.
Arsenal starlet was ahead of Nwaneri & Lewis-Skelly, then he left for £1m
Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are two of the finest talents to emerge from the Arsenal academy.
ByMatt Dawson
