Mikel Arteta may be forced to sanction a January departure for an Arsenal player who is going through a difficult period.
The Gunners are riding high at the top of the Premier League table, having won eight of their opening ten matches, conceding just three goals in the process.
This impressive start to the campaign has been driven by Arsenal’s squad depth, which was cultivated by Andrea Berta’s £250 million summer spending spree.
While this recruitment has been overwhelmingly positive for Arteta, his squad has become somewhat bloated, and there have inevitably been casualties as a result of this.
Mikel Arteta might have to loan Myles Lewis-Skelly in January
Myles Lewis-Skelly has been omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the upcoming Three Lions fixtures against Serbia and Albania.
This omission is a result of Lewis-Skelly’s minutes at Arsenal dropping significantly this term. The left-back hasn’t started a league match all season, while he’s managed just over 400 minutes across all competitions.
Riccardo Calafiori is evidently Arteta’s first-choice option in this position, while Arsenal also signed Piero Hincapie to play in this position.
Hincapie started against Slavia Prague in midweek, indicating that Lewis-Skelly may not even be viewed as the second-choice option in certain scenarios.
If he continues to fulfil this peripheral role, it’s not difficult to imagine a world where the Hale End graduate becomes slightly restless, particularly with his World Cup spot under threat.
The teenager may even express a desire to leave Arsenal temporarily in January, and Arteta would be brave to reject this request.
Of course, this is all conjecture, but Lewis-Skelly doesn’t seem to be the type of character to rest on his laurels, even if he is still a young player developing at an elite club.
Midfield could be Myles Lewis-Skelly’s saving grace
Lewis-Skelly was raised as a midfielder.
However, Arteta has thus far been reluctant to use the youngster in the role, favouring him in the inverted full-back position which Oleksandr Zinchenko used to take up.
That said, it’s possible that the signing of Hincapie was made with Lewis-Skelly moving into midfield in mind.
He has all the attributes to thrive in the middle of the park, with his passing, ball carrying and ability to win defensive duels all exceptional.
If he can start to be used as an alternative to Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi, as well as playing minutes at left-back, this could be enough for him to re-earn his place in the England squad.
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