Jeremie Aliadiere has put the Myles Lewis-Skelly question bluntly. “He needs to leave if he wants to have game time,” the former Arsenal striker told metro.co.uk, as Bruno Guimarães closes in on a £75million move after long negotiations with Newcastle and a completed medical at Arsenal.

Aliadiere’s warning

Aliadiere’s point was not subtle. He said Lewis-Skelly is “at a crossroads” and asked, “where is he in the pecking order now? They have still got Zubimendi, so where is Myles going to get a minute and game time?”

He also argued that the 19-year-old “didn't touch a ball. He didn't get a minute. He didn't come on. He didn't play” for long stretches, before adding that he did not get regular minutes for three quarters of the season. Lewis-Skelly did have an end-of-season run, including the Champions League final, but Aliadiere does not see that as enough to settle the long-term question.

The minutes picture is not cleanly one-sided. Lewis-Skelly’s most recent Arsenal appearance in the dataset was a 97-minute outing, and his last 10 listed matches sat around a 6.82 average. He has clearly featured, but he has not played like an undroppable starter.

Arsenal’s midfield squeeze

The wider problem is obvious enough. Arsenal finished the 2025 Premier League season with 85 points from 38 matches, which is the sort of squad strength that can still leave young players squeezed out. Guimarães is set to become Mikel Arteta’s fourth signing of the summer transfer window, and that only tightens the midfield picture further.

There is still room for a different reading. A 19-year-old who ends a season with a Champions League final run is not automatically finished at the club. But Aliadiere’s warning feels credible because the route to regular football is getting narrower, not wider, and Arsenal are about to add another established midfielder to the mix.

For Lewis-Skelly, the next step is not theoretical. Arsenal’s midfield is about to get more crowded, and Guimarães’ arrival will make the competition for minutes even harsher.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →