Arsenal’s teenage midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly started trending for strange reasons in their explosive 2-2 draw against Manchester City.
The 17-year-old made his official Premier League debut for the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium, but managed a strange feat by getting a yellow card even before coming on the pitch.
Indeed, the teenager got booked for showing dissent in the touchline when he was warming up in the substitutes’ area.
He actually came on in the dying minutes of the match and ended up getting into a heated moment with Erling Haaland minutes after doing so. The Norwegian forward was actually seen mouthing the words ‘Who the f*** are you’ to the teenager as he clearly doesn’t know much about him.
Well, not many fans watching the game could be faulted for not having an idea about who Lewis-Skelly really is. Some might find his name to be curious or hilarious, but Lewis-Skelly shares a strong bond with the Gunners.
Lewis-Skelly was born to British parents in Islington (a district in Greater North London) and has lived in the English capital all his life.
He shares a unique lineage as his grandparents are of mixed Caribbean heritage.
Indeed, he has links to Barbados and even trained with the Barbados national team during his youth career, but has represented England in the under-16, under-17 and under-19 levels.
After spending eight years in their youth academy, Lewis-Skelly signed his first professional contract with Arsenal in October 2023.
It was reported to be a two-year deal that runs up until 2025.
He is rumoured to be on a meager £11,440 yearly wages as because he’s still not a regular with the senior squad. That comes down to £220 per week.
In comparison, his yearly salary is ten times less than what a player like Leandro Trossard reportedly earns per week at Arsenal.
The rather interesting thing about Lewis-Skelly is that he still doesn’t have an assigned agent or isn’t tied to a players’ agency that many other footballers his age tend to.
That is because his mother, Marcia, has been vigilant about not letting her son be charmed by any agent. Marcia recalled to The Athletic earlier this year that she received a call from a football agent when her son was only 11 about the prospect of tying up with them.
Marcia spoke in detail about why she’s sceptic about getting a new agent for Myles, telling The Athletic: “When he was 12, a top sports brand wanted to sponsor him. At various points, I felt unprepared to make decisions that could impact Myles’ future. There was no trusted advice, no network to consult, and no family connections in the football industry.
“There are plenty of great agents, but his dad and I needed more time to build those relationships — and to properly understand what agents do. I took my exam, not really as a driver to represent Myles, but to gain that knowledge for us.”
Marcia points towards taking a FIFA agents exam to understand the role of a football agent and personally acts as his representative right now. Maybe it’s time she renegotiates her son’s contract details after his Premier League debut.
The 17-year-old is naturally a defensive midfielder or a no.8, but can also slot into the no.8 role if necessary.
He was brought onto the pitch by Mikel Arteta against Manchester City to add more depth to the Gunners’ backline and help defend the 2-1 lead, which they ultimately were unable to do.
Despite being only about 5’8’ in height, Myles-Skelly makes up for his aggressive playing style and never-say-die attitude.
As he showed against Manchester City, he isn’t scared to step up to bigger players or getting into an on-field tussle.
He is quite the energetic, fiery character with a determined personality and the tendency to put his body on the line for his teammates on the pitch.
Apart from his energetic nature, Lewis-Skelly is also impressive with his distribution and blessed with admirable technique on the ball.
Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere and current under-18 coach Jack Wilshere has praised his family for shaping the youngster’s career properly and hailed his quality, telling The Athletic: “We give him the tools he needs to develop, but you see certain moments that are not coachable. Certain players can’t do that, only certain players can but there’s much more that comes with it like how he lives.
“He’s a top kid but he has to manage that going forward when he gets a bit more attention. He comes from a great family which is massive, and I know that they’ll steer his journey and be present throughout that, a bit like me with my dad and family. That’s so important.”
Despite being an exciting up-and-coming midfielder for Arsenal, Lewis-Skelly isn’t really rated highly by the FC 25 developers. He has only been given a starting rating of 58 in the newly-launched game. His highest attribute is his pace (63), while the midfielder’s been given a 58 passing attribute and 61 dribbles attribute.
Lewis-Skelly obviously still has a long way to go to be a regular in Mikel Arteta’s side and nail that starting role in Arsenal’s senior team. But his feisty attitude, technical qualities and energetic nature can take him a long way forward as long as he sticks to his goal of being a top footballer.
