What's going on with Arsenal youngster Lewis-Skelly?
The 19-year-old's breakout season came in 2024-25, taking his chance for Arsenal during their injury-hit campaign and then signing a five-year contract in the summer. Fine form also saw him recognised on the international stage and, in March last year, Lewis-Skelly became the youngest man to score on their England debut when he got the opener in a 2-0 win against Albania at Wembley. He started four of England's World Cup qualifying matches and was named in four of Thomas Tuchel's first five England squads before missing out on the November camp because of a lack of club matches.
Mikel Arteta is attempting to win the Premier League for Arsenal after three successive second-placed finishes, and that means there is no space for sentiment. The Gunners have not won the league since 2004 and there is a sense of desperation within the fanbase to see success. Arteta has developed his current Arsenal side into a solid unit which has a more direct style of play than his previous teams.
That has led him to sign players who can physically compete with any side in the league. Alongside Riccardo Calafiori, who Arsenal signed for £42m in 2024, Arteta has brought in Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen on loan with an option to buy for about £45m. As Arsenal look to make the transition to becoming serial winners, Arteta has favoured experience with Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Eberechi Eze signed in the prime of their careers as 'win now' signings.
Unfortunately for Lewis-Skelly, that is not good news for young players. Fellow academy graduate Ethan Nwaneri was sent on loan to Marseille after struggling to get regular minutes. Lewis-Skelly was kept around but, in Hincapie, Arsenal have a player who was part of the Leverkusen squad that won the 2024-25 Bundesliga without losing a game and the German Cup in the 2023-24 season.
The Ecuador international's physicality and intensity when defending is also regularly mentioned by Arteta. His characteristics match with the Arsenal boss, while Gabriel Heinze, who joined the backroom staff this year, is also a passionate character and is a fan of Hincapie. With Calafiori also bringing an unpredictability to an Arsenal attack that places an emphasis on the full-backs when Arsenal go forward, Lewis-Skelly has dropped from first choice last season to third choice this.