Arsenal's rising star Myles Lewis-Skelly is the best English left-back in the Premier League right now and should be a shoo-in for the next England squad, Gunners expert Charles Watts believes.
The 18-year-old has enjoyed an unforeseen rise to fame under Mikel Arteta during the 2024-25 season, usurping all of Riccardo Calafiori, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney to become the Gunners' first-choice left-back.
Lewis-Skelly's first goal for Arsenal came in Sunday's 5-1 slaughter of Manchester City, where the youngster celebrated by mimicking Erling Haaland's meditation pose, an act of retribution after being asked "who the f*** are you?" by the Norwegian at the Etihad.
Lewis-Skelly also relished his first North London derby start in last month's win over Tottenham Hotspur, and while the Hale End graduate evidently exudes confidence, Watts does not believe that his self-assuredness crosses over into arrogance.
"The rise that he's had in the last few months has just been remarkable," Watts told Sports Mole. "I just thought maybe he'll get a couple of games in the first half of the season, maybe a Champions League dead rubber or the League Cup, and then probably a loan maybe to a championship club in January for the second half of the season, just so he can get some minutes.
"No inferiority complex" with Arsenal's Lewis-Skelly
"I just would never have predicted what would have gone on to happen. It's been an unbelievable rise. The way he looks, the character, the celebration thing, having the personality to do that against such a big name player.
"Some people would call it arrogant. I don't. I just think it shows belief in himself. There's no inferiority complex with him whatsoever. It doesn't matter who he's up against. He will go into that head to head, he wins his duels and is so strong on the ball.
"The amount of times he comes away from what looks like being a difficult situation and suddenly he'll just come out with the ball and just keep charging up the pitch. He's so strong. It's been a real find for Arsenal. It's a real bonus for Arsenal."
Initially starting out as a defensive midfielder, the 2006-born prospect was quickly identified as a player who could thrive as a left-back in Arteta's system, where the Spaniard demands his left-sided defender to invert and help overload the centre of the pitch.
Lewis-Skelly has proven to be extremely adept at wriggling out of tight spaces, driving at defences and winning fouls during his short time in the first team so far, and Watts is expecting new England head coach Thomas Tuchel to summon him for selection in his first squad later this year.
'No better English left-back than Lewis-Skelly'
© Imago
"A penny for Ricardo Calafiori thoughts," Watts added. "You come in as a big money signing in the summer, probably thinking you're absolutely going to be first-choice left back. And then suddenly, this 18-year-old kid comes out of absolutely nowhere and basically makes the position his own."
"I'm sure he's probably going to get in the England squad. There's no better English left-back in England right now than Myles Lewis-Skelly. He'll deserve that call up. I think a lot of Arsenal fans would hope he doesn't get called up and just leave him be, let him play out the season at Arsenal. But I'm sure he will get a call-up."
After Lewis-Skelly's moment in the Emirates spotlight against Man City, fellow teenager Ethan Nwaneri made an equally telling impact off the bench in added time, capping a five-star performance with a stunning left-footed curler into the bottom corner.
The 17-year-old has produced similarly exquisite finishes against Girona and Preston North End this season, seemingly already mastering the art of cutting inside from the right wing and bending a 20-yard strike out of the goalkeeper's reach.
Nwaneri's teammate Bukayo Saka, Mohamed Salah and Arjen Robben have also become famed for such finishes, and while Watts would not go as far as to compare the 17-year-old to Robben, he can see the similarities in their finishing style.
'Defenders know what Nwaneri will do, and they cannot stop him'
© Imago
"I loved his goal," he said. "And the thing is, you could see it come in a mile off as soon as he got the ball. City knew what he was going to do, but they still couldn't stop it.
"His emergence this season as a genuine goal getter, I think it's definitely influenced Arsenal's transfer window thinking a little bit. Not totally, but a little bit. They can see they've got a genuine goal scoring option that maybe they weren't sure at the start of the season they were going to have this year.
"It's like Arjen Robben isn't it? You know what he's going to do. He gets on that left foot, you know, you knew exactly what Robben was going to do. I'm not comparing Nwaneri to Arjen Robben.
"But every time he's on the ball, when he moves into that left foot, every defender knows what he's going to do there. And yet they still can't stop him. And that's really exciting. I'm looking forward to seeing how that continues to develop over the next few years."
Arsenal fended off interest in Manchester City in Nwaneri by tying him down to a professional deal on his 17th birthday last year, but he is already said to be in line for fresh terms, and conversations are also said to be ongoing with Lewis-Skelly's camp over a new-and-improved contract.
Should Arsenal worry about Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly contracts?
© Imago
Securing Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly's long-term futures would be a significant coup for Arsenal following their recent academy exodus, as teenage defender Ayden Heaven recently followed in the footsteps of striker sensation Chido Obi Martin to sign for Manchester United.
The Gunners also failed to agree new deals with Reuell Walters and Amario Cozier-Duberry before they left the club, but Watts cannot envisage a similar scenario unfolding with Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly given their first-team status.
"They absolutely have to sign long-term contracts, and they will," Watts added. "I'm absolutely sure of that. It's very different what's happened with Chido Obi Martin and Ayden Heaven.
"These two are absolutely firmly established in the first team now. They're senior players despite their age. And that will be absolute priority. They'll get them tied down and I'm sure they will pretty, pretty quickly."
Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly are now en route to Dubai with the rest of the Arsenal squad for a warm-weather training camp, before the Gunners return to action away to Leicester City in the Premier League on February 15.
Ben Knapton
