Arsenal could already have a perfect heir to Granit Xhaka.
According to The Secret Scout earlier this week, the Gunners have tied down “one of their top academy players” in 16-year-old sensation Myles Lewis-Skelly to a new contract.
It’s no secret that the famed Hale End academy is capable of producing real stars of the future, with Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah being the finest and most recent examples.
There is also a belief that the north Londoners are looking to bolster the engine room in the coming months as moves for the likes of Declan Rice of West Ham United and Moises Caicedo of Brighton and Hove Albion being mooted.
But manager Mikel Arteta may well already have his natural heir to the Swiss vice-captain, with Lewis-Skelly catching the eye for the youth setup.
The teenager has recently been dubbed as “one of the most talented U17s in England” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, who has also put together a profile of the relatively-unknown jewel.
It’s thought that he has very strong passing, vision and athleticism attributes which makes him comparable to a former Premier League monster in Mousa Dembele – ‘energetic, hardworking, and determined in the defensive phase with good anticipation sense to provide key interceptions and tackles,’ he wrote.
Lewis-Skelly was part of the U18 side to defeat Watford earlier in the week and his performance saw The Sun journalist Daniel Cutts suggest that the youngster “could be absolutely anything in the future.”
Next Generation Arsenal, who frequently covers the Gunners’ academy, once claimed that the Hale End gem was “like a train thundering down the line,” whilst he has clearly already caught the eye of Arteta as he was part of first-team training before the north London derby last month.
Xhaka very much plays a Dembele-like role for the Spaniard, so even if their top target in Rice were to join in the summer, then you’d imagine Lewis-Skelly’s chance at progressing isn’t actually thwarted at all.
Given the aforementioned reviews of the 16-year-old prospect, it’s clear that Hale End has produced yet another immense talent and in the “very highly-rated” Lewis-Skelly – as lauded by journalist Jeorge Bird – Arsenal could well have a midfield machine for the future.
AND in other news, Arteta could unearth the new Saka in “skilful” Arsenal teen who’s “Hale End’s finest”…