Myles Lewis-Skelly wants midfield minutes, and that preference is now sitting at the centre of his summer picture. Myles Lewis-Skelly has made it clear he sees himself as a central midfielder, while Arsenal's squad shape and rival interest from Manchester United and Chelsea make the situation more complicated than a simple contract story. He only agreed a new deal last summer, but he could still end up at another Premier League club.

Lewis-Skelly's midfield case

"My best position is either a No 6 or No 8. I'm not too sure yet, but I'm just continuing to try my best to master both. Whatever it takes, I'm ready to play in the [No] 6 or [No] 8 role," Lewis-Skelly said to mirror.co.uk. That is the clearest line in the whole debate. He is not describing himself as a full-time left-back, and he is not pretending the choice does not matter.

Arsenal have reasons to be cautious about his path. The club's signing of Bruno Guimaraes means Lewis-Skelly has the likes of the Brazilian, Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi to compete with for a starting berth. He also ended the season strongly, starting five of Arsenal's final six games and playing all 120 minutes of the Champions League final against Paris St-Germain. Across his last five league and Champions League appearances, he logged 385 minutes and averaged a 6.72 rating.

United and Chelsea are watching

The outside interest is real. Sky Sports reported that Chelsea were linked with Lewis-Skelly in January and have since made a new enquiry. Manchester United are still deciding whether they will commit to signing another midfielder or a left-back before the deadline, and they have also been looking at their options on the left side after being thwarted in their attempts to sign Lewis Hall from Newcastle.

That gives Lewis-Skelly a fairly unusual profile in this market. He is young, adaptable and already trusted by Arsenal in big games, but his own preference points him toward midfield and away from a role that may be easier to open up elsewhere. Arsenal finished top of the Premier League in 2025 with 85 points, so any decision would be about squad balance as much as urgency. For now, the question is not whether he can help. It is where he gets that chance, and whether it comes at the Emirates or somewhere else in the Premier League.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →