It is easy to forget, because of how much of a positive impact they made, that Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri were only peripheral to the Arsenal squad at the start of last season. By the end, they had both made 23 Premier League appearances.
For Nwaneri, it was an introduction to the level, but for Lewis-Skelly, it was a genuine breakthrough. The left-back-cross-midfielder ended with 39 senior games under his belt, a senior England call-up (plus start and goal), and experience in massively high-pressure scenarios.
Lewis-Skelly was in Arteta’s best team, not just his available one. Having not made a start until December 14, he ended it with 15 in the league alone. He had been behind Riccardo Calafiori, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jurrien Timber, and Jakub Kiwior there in August but was ahead of them all by the turn of the year
It is a credit to Arteta, the Hale End pathway, and Lewis-Skelly himself that this all happened so seamlessly. By April and May he was facing up against Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue, and Achraf Hakimi on the Paris Saint-Germain right flank in both legs of the Champions League semi-final
Arsenal have always had high hopes for Lewis-Skelly but even those who have watched him closely will have been impressed by just how easily he took to the very top. Not only did he prove himself when Arteta was running out of alternatives, he made sure that the chance he had been given did not go begging.
Lewis-Skelly ended the league season with over 1,000 league minutes more than Kieran Tierney, 800 more than Zinchenko, and 400 more than Calafiori. Much of that is to do with fitness but it is also about merit, tactical fit, and Lewis-Skelly’s performance levels.
Injuries to key members of the defence, including Ben White, forced a rejig throughout for Arteta, but Lewis-Skelly did more than just hold the place. He took it over.
Getting almost 2,500 minutes out of him would not have been in the plans at the start of last season but will now be in Arteta’s mind ahead of 2025/26. He can count on Lewis-Skelly either in the first-choice XI or as rotation and cover, at bare minimum.
The same must be said for Nwaneri. He is six months younger than Lewis-Skelly and was still 17 when making his initial inroads into the team. Coming in after Martin Odegaard’s injury and Bukayo Saka’s spell on the sidelines, Nwaneri delivered on the promise and hype immediately.
