Where has Myles Lewis-Skelly gone?

[Big Poppa]

Genuinely puzzled by this one and wanted to hear what others think.

Cast your mind back to last season. MLS burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old, made 39 first-team appearances across all competitions, scored against Man City, earned his senior England debut (and scored on it, becoming the youngest Englishman ever to do so), and did all of it while playing out of position at left-back. He was so impressive that Tuttosport named him one of the 25 nominees for the 2025 Golden Boy award alongside Cubarsí, Doué and Dean Huijsen. His market value now sits at around €50-57m. For a teenager who’d barely played senior football, that breakthrough was extraordinary.

This season? He’s barely featured. In the Premier League so far, he’s accumulated just 312 minutes. By this same point last season he was deep into a run of starting regularly. He featured in 19 of Arsenal’s final 21 Premier League fixtures after his debut. The contrast is stark and confusing.

Here’s what really gets me: look at the players who are playing week in, week out right now. Gabriel, Zubimendi, Rice, Timber; these lads are running on fumes. We’re deep into March, deep into a title race and a Champions League campaign, and these players are carrying an enormous physical and mental load. We’ve been here before. The late-season tail off isn’t some myth, we dropped 21 points from winning positions last season alone and have a documented history of running out of steam exactly when it matters most.

So why, in this context, is Arteta apparently unwilling to give MLS meaningful minutes? The lad is 19, naturally a midfielder with elite athleticism and ball-carrying ability; exactly the kind of energy injection you’d want off the bench in a tight game. Yet whenever we sub, it’s a forward swap. Always. Unless someone’s carrying an injury, the midfield and back line are apparently untouchable.

I get that Calafiori and Hincapie have been good at left-back this season, and there’s an argument for continuity. But surely MLS could at minimum be rotated in as a fresh pair of legs in midfield when games need changing? He isn’t just a left-back, he was always a midfielder first. That natural engine is exactly what we look like we’re missing in the final 20 minutes of games when our starters are visibly gassed.

Excuse the lengthy post but would love to hear if anyone thinks there’s a tactical reason I’m missing, or whether you’re as baffled as I am?

 

[Iwobeast]

Genuinely puzzled by this one and wanted to hear what others think.

Cast your mind back to last season. MLS burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old, made 39 first-team appearances across all competitions, scored against Man City, earned his senior England debut (and scored on it, becoming the youngest Englishman ever to do so), and did all of it while playing out of position at left-back. He was so impressive that Tuttosport named him one of the 25 nominees for the 2025 Golden Boy award alongside Cubarsí, Doué and Dean Huijsen. His market value now sits at around €50-57m. For a teenager who’d barely played senior football, that breakthrough was extraordinary.

This season? He’s barely featured. In the Premier League so far, he’s accumulated just 312 minutes. By this same point last season he was deep into a run of starting regularly. He featured in 19 of Arsenal’s final 21 Premier League fixtures after his debut. The contrast is stark and confusing.

Here’s what really gets me: look at the players who are playing week in, week out right now. Gabriel, Zubimendi, Rice, Timber; these lads are running on fumes. We’re deep into March, deep into a title race and a Champions League campaign, and these players are carrying an enormous physical and mental load. We’ve been here before. The late-season tail off isn’t some myth, we dropped 21 points from winning positions last season alone and have a documented history of running out of steam exactly when it matters most.

So why, in this context, is Arteta apparently unwilling to give MLS meaningful minutes? The lad is 19, naturally a midfielder with elite athleticism and ball-carrying ability; exactly the kind of energy injection you’d want off the bench in a tight game. Yet whenever we sub, it’s a forward swap. Always. Unless someone’s carrying an injury, the midfield and back line are apparently untouchable.

I get that Calafiori and Hincapie have been good at left-back this season, and there’s an argument for continuity. But surely MLS could at minimum be rotated in as a fresh pair of legs in midfield when games need changing? He isn’t just a left-back, he was always a midfielder first. That natural engine is exactly what we look like we’re missing in the final 20 minutes of games when our starters are visibly gassed.

Excuse the lengthy post but would love to hear if anyone thinks there’s a tactical reason I’m missing, or whether you’re as baffled as I am?

funnily enough I was watching the highlights of our home game against PSG yesterday. Suddenly you see Myles receive the ball in the center of the pitch with Hakimi behind him, spins him around and drives the ball forward with a powerful carry that completely unsettles the PSG structure, and gives a perfect pass in behind that puts Martinelli 1v1 with the GK.

I was like wow we just have this guy sitting on the bench while Zubi and Rice are running on fumes. And he has qualities that this team really lacks at the moment, especially the ball-carrying. You'd almost forget about him because we've barely seen him this season.

I'm as baffled as you are. Again a really weird situation of squad/talent management

 

[Halend]

Arteta is just very specific in what he wants in certain positions to his own detriment, he's to narrow in how he profiles players.

He's not 6 foot 1 so Arteta can't play him in midfield even though you look at what he done last season and think he is exactly the spark this team needs especially with Zubimeni and Rice are playing all these minutes.

Same Reason Nwaneri was shipped out aswell doesn't fit to a tea what Arteta wants.

Arteta's development of young players is just poor

 

[A_G]

He’s kind of like ESR in a way, I know the latter had injuries but even when fit he went from mainstay to forgotten man quickly.

 

[Big Poppa]

He’s kind of like ESR in a way, I know the latter had injuries but even when fit he went from mainstay to forgotten man quickly.

Good shout. Every case is slightly different but it seems like there’s a pattern of young players making a first team breakthrough, playing extensive minutes, signing long term contracts and then falling quickly out of favour straight afterwards.

 

[Big Poppa]

funnily enough I was watching the highlights of our home game against PSG yesterday. Suddenly you see Myles receive the ball in the center of the pitch with Hakimi behind him, spins him around and drives the ball forward with a powerful carry that completely unsettles the PSG structure, and gives a perfect pass in behind that puts Martinelli 1v1 with the GK.

I was like wow we just have this guy sitting on the bench while Zubi and Rice are running on fumes. And he has qualities that this team really lacks at the moment, especially the ball-carrying. You'd almost forget about him because we've barely seen him this season.

I'm as baffled as you are. Again a really weird situation of squad/talent management

I could be making this up but I think MLS might have had the highest tackle success rate of any player in the PL last season. He was poor in the 2nd leg v PSG but more than held his own is the first leg and in both legs v Madrid and was fantastic in the 5-1 against City.

 

[Geofranco]

I could be making this up but I think MLS might have had the highest tackle success rate of any player in the PL last season. He was poor in the 2nd leg v PSG but more than held his own is the first leg and in both legs v Madrid and was fantastic in the 5-1 against City.

He also was not dribbled past for a long stretch. He did well defensively last season for a player who is not a natural fullback and was playing his first season as a first team player in a team competing to win the league and champions league. I think most people now are underrating how truly impressive what he did was. I'd call this season a sophomore slump and growing pains, but I still rate him highly and have faith he'll come good. But sometimes certain managers simply don't know how to utilize certain players properly, especially if they don't fit perfectly into their vision of how that player should play a particular position. Look at the way Pep used Yaya Toure at Barca.

 

[ragnarock]

Development is rarely linear. Getting rid of a academy graduate who broke into the England team in his first season at senior level is beyond foolish.

That said he was never a traditional FB. Loan him out to get a full season at midfield

 

[Aubamabludclat94]

He has been going through a bit of a sophomore slump this season. Whenever he has played, he's rarely looked convincing, and its not necessarily a position thing. His basics have looked off at times, almost as if he's been playing injured or his mind isn't quite in the game. Tbf, the end of last season wasn't looking super great for him either. I don't think there's any need to panic or make this into an issue. We're competing for the highest titles and are in the lead for the major one, hardly the place to be taking a pun on getting an 18 year old back to his best form. Hopefully he's able to work hard in the summer to kick on for next season.

 

[Red London]

A loan is definitely needed here, and the best course of action.

He’s in a slump but there’s still so much upside, that hasn’t changed just because he’s in bad form this season.

A loan would also allow us to choose which direction we want to go with MLS, and hopefully choose a loan where he gets to play in midfield.

He just won’t get those opportunities here in a team competing on all fronts with a manager who is risk averse.

 

[Dennis_Bergkamp_10]

He's not been great as a leftback, especially defensively. With Arteta that's not going to happen, we defend first and foremost.

Then you'd want him to have a chance in midfield, but he hasn't gotten any. If I remember correctly he was supposed to play there some easy cup game but Calafiori tore his vagina in the warming up and MLS was moved back to LB.

It would be great if a PL club came for him for a loan deal and play him in midfield. He's still young and very promising.

 

[MikelHadADream]

I'm surprised and disappointed in how's turned out for him this season. He was legit in out top 5 players last season, and was showing teams like Real Madrid and PSG levels.

I think the talk of him being sold is an exaggeration though, this type of thing isnt uncommon for a young player. Maybe we see a loan.

 

[Trilly]

But sometimes certain managers simply don't know how to utilize certain players properly, especially if they don't fit perfectly into their vision of how that player should play a particular position.

This is basically it and why I'm not sure Mikel is the guy for us long-term.

Arsenal will always be a club that has access to talented players but not the type of club who can go out and regulalry buy the unicorn profiles that Mikel wants in a player. Mikel doesn't tweak the system to suit certain players and they tend to just stagnate and/or lose sell-on value when they can't slot into his system.

 

[jones]

Hope he gets an extension and three year loan to a decent outfit so he can come back when Arteta has hopefully ****ed off.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

Hincapie coming in and doing well means he's clearly third choice at LB, and he's got top level experienced players ahead of him in midfield as well. He also struggled in the games he did play this season, which can happen with young players even after they break through well.

With every game being so important now my guess is that Arteta just doesn't want to risk it as long as a more experienced player is available. Would have been nice to see him play more in the cup games earlier though.

I think it's likely he gets a loan this summer somewhere where he can play in midfield regularly. And then once he's in his early 20s they will decide if he has a future here or not.

 

[Gooner Zig]

This is one area where Arteta still struggles. His over reliance on Rice and Zubi especially when we have Nørgaard to take minutes later in games has been baffling and his under utilization of MLS despite the dodgy performances at LB is also weird a disappointing. That ability to turn and carry through the midfield is what we're crying out for at times the past month. The talk last season was that he'd be getting more opportunities in midfield - I don't understand why we couldn't set up with a midfield combination of this for certain states:

Zubi
Eze MLS

 

[grange]

Hope he gets an extension and three year loan to a decent outfit so he can come back when Arteta has hopefully ****ed off.

About the only encouraging thing for Max is, when he hits his prime, Mik will be long gone.

 

[Thrice]

Definitely needs a loan move to a midtable club. Last season he took advantage of our injury situation at LB. Now we have two LB's who both offer more than him.
He's a natural midfielder, but he's not going to displace Rice or Zubimendi and he needs more experience in order to be a reliable backup option.

 

[HollandGooner]

I am really frustrated by his limited game time tbf but the main reason is he isnt a left back but he has Rice infront of him at left midfield. But we should play him more often tbf. quality player and his future will be in midfield.

 

[Tourbillion]

He's not tall but his legs are powerful as ****. There would be no issues with him in midfield unless you're worried about aerial bombardment, which our manager no doubt fixates on above all FFS.