Quantcast
Home   >   News   >   Pundit slams Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly

Pundit slams Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly

By on January 22, 2026

ethan nwaneri and myles lewis-skelly

Former Arsenal forward turned pundit Alan Smith has slammed his old club’s young defender, Myles Lewis-Skelly.

After coming through the Hale End academy, the 19-year-old made his first-team debut in a crucial Premier League fixture against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in September 2024.

Due to Riccardo Calafiori’s injury problems, Lewis-Skelly played regularly last term, making 42 appearances across all competitions. He showed glimpses of his high potential, helping his side finish second in the Premier League and reach the Champions League semi-final before losing to eventual champions PSG.

However, following Piero Hincapié’s arrival last summer, the youngster has found himself on the periphery thus far this season, playing mainly in the cup competitions.

Now, during a recent interview (via Metro), Smith says that Lewis-Skelly isn’t good enough defensively to play for a big club like Arsenal, having grown up as a midfielder.

Therefore, the North London club would be better off cashing-in on him, which would help them from a PSR point of view.

Pundit slams Lewis-Skelly

Smith said:

“He is just not good enough defensively. He’s been brought up as a midfielder, and when he’s had 1v1s, he has struggled, for example, when Frimpong was up against him in the Liverpool game, because he’s not the quickest either, and he’s not a natural defender.

“He’s got three players in front of him who can all defend better. So, looking forward to the summer, I think it might be a case of selling him, for PSR and all that, being a youth team player, it’s pure profit. So, unfortunately, I think he might have to leave the club.”

Although Lewis-Skelly has shown defensive frailties since making his debut, he is still very young and has plenty of time on his side to address those issues.

Therefore, sending him out on loan might help him develop, like Arsenal have decided to do with Ethan Nwaneri, instead of selling him, as he is an extremely talented player and possesses high potential.

It is going to be interesting to see what the North London club decided to do to help him develop.

Meanwhile, following a comfortable 3-1 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League in midweek, Arsenal have secured their place in the round of 16. They are even pretty much guaranteed to finish at the top of the table.

Now, they will face off against Manchester United in the Premier League this weekend before taking on Kairat Almaty in the final Champions League league game next week.