Mikel Arteta admitted “sometimes it’s form, sometimes it’s the fact we want to do certain things” when asked about the reduced minutes of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri so far this season.
Lewis-Skelly’s rapid emergence was one of the major talking points of last season, with the 19-year-old establishing himself as the club’s first-choice left back in addition to breaking into the England squad.
Nwaneri’s stock has been high for a couple of years, with great things expected of him after some standout showings in the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup.
But Lewis-Skelly has had a watching brief for most of this Premier League season, falling behind Riccardo Calafiori in the pecking order, while Nwaneri continues to compete for minutes against Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard having also seen Eberechi Eze, who can play as a No. 10 or out wide, and Noni Madueke also join Arsenal’s attacking ranks.
Asked ahead of Saturday’s game with West Ham United about whether Arsenal’s strength in depth was the reason for others being preferred, Arteta said of the pair: “I don't know, but I don't work with expectations. I work with what the boys can provide in the context that the team is playing in that moment. And Ethan has played two games in the Premier League very early because of an injury of Martin as well. He played in other competitions, and he will play more.
“With Myles, it's the same. Sometimes it's form, sometimes it's the fact that we want to do certain things in relation to the opposition. And that's it. What I want is that they are in the state that they have to be used. And when they are playing, whether it is to start games or for a few minutes, they are fully ready. And both of them, they've been really good at that.”
Tuchel Warns Lewis-Skelly Over England Place
The question put to Arteta followed a warning from England manager Thomas Tuchel in his squad annoucement on Thursday that Lewis-Skelly won’t keep his place in the camp “just for being a good citizen”, and that regular minutes at Arsenal would need to follow so he’s picked on merit.
“To just be a good citizen in camp will not be enough over the course of a year,” Tuchel said. “He was a very good player in camp, a very good team-mate in camp [last month]. But being a good team-mate in camp may not be good enough to stay the whole year with us. You have to perform at club level on a regular basis. In the last camp he got the credit, that I was convinced we have to take care of him and nominate him because we accelerated his career.
“It was our responsibility after we called him last season. So we stick to this. He was now part of a very successful camp so he gets the reward for that. But if you remember he was not part of the 20-man squad in the match in Serbia.
“Still, his behaviour was outstanding, even if he was not part of the squad. His training, his attitude, his attitude to push and support the guys on the pitch was outstanding and of the highest level. He is one of the players who benefits from this decision, from sticking with the same squad, but the performances [for Arsenal] will be a key factor in the next month. He benefits also from the proximity of the camps and that [the last one] was three weeks ago.”
Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri’s 2025–26 Statistics (All Competitions)
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mikel Arteta Explains Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri Minutes at Arsenal.
