Myles Lewis-Skelly has committed his future to Arsenal by signing a new contract at his boyhood club.
There was never any doubt that the teenager would extend his stay at Arsenal, whom he’s represented since he was nine.
Lewis-Skelly’s new contract sees his love for the club reciprocated on the back of a sublime breakthrough campaign in Mikel Arteta’s squad.
During his first season, the 18-year-old became an England international and a firm starter under Arteta, with his new deal signalling that the best is yet to come.
- READ MORE: Three similarities and two big differences between Myles Lewis-Skelly and a young Ashley Cole
Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta’s role in Myles Lewis-Skelly’s new contract
Lewis-Skelly was linked to Real Madrid, but his future was always Arsenal, being a Londoner and a fan of the club.
The versatile defender has a remarkable support system, with his mother, Marcia Lewis, becoming his agent and guiding him in the right direction.
Lewis was a driving force in negotiations, as was Arteta, who was at the forefront of the teenager penning a new deal, as Telegraph Sport have revealed.
Reacting to Lewis-Skelly’s contract, the Telegraph shared the ins and outs of the process behind getting the left-back to sign on the dotted line.
It was no surprise to learn that Arteta played a ‘special role’ in negotiations, but what did come as a shock was the slim input sporting director Andrea Berta had.
Berta is in talks to tie several Arsenal stars down to new deals, but when it came to Lewis-Skelly, the Italian had little to no role to play.
The Telegraph noted that there was ‘little need’ for Berta to be ‘particularly involved’ in talks, as a lot of the work was done by the time of the sporting director’s arrival.
Berta was said to be ‘shrewd enough’ to leave those who had been there for the entirety of the negotiation to wrap things up, merely finalising the agreement.
James King was the driving force behind Lewis-Skelly’s deal
As well as Arteta, who played a ‘pivotal role in smoothing’ the process of Lewis-Skelly signing amid a change in sporting directors, another figure was heavily influential.
James King was appointed Arsenal’s director of football operations in November and was described by the Telegraph as being an ‘influential presence throughout talks’.
King’s experience at the Professional Footballers’ Association made him well-placed to tend to any possible issues raised by Lewis-Skelly amid the process of signing a new deal.
Whether there were any issues is unknown, but the most important thing is that, amid the chaos of a change at the top following Edu Gaspar’s exit, Arsenal got the job done.
Lewis-Skelly is tied to Arsenal until at least 2030, and after his first season, it’s exciting to imagine what level he’ll be at in five years.
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