Mikel Arteta told Arsenal teen he possesses a trait that very few others have

One of Arsenal’s biggest advantages over most clubs in the Premier League is their academy.

The Gunners have saved millions thanks to the players they have developed in-house, and a couple of them are key players for the first team now.

Bukayo Saka is one of them, and he is clearly the face of the football club.

The other one is Myles Lewis-Skelly, and a report has now explained why Mikel Arteta is such a big fan of him.

Mikel Arteta’s secret conversation with Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly

Lewis-Skelly is a fan favourite at Arsenal.

The teenager earned the supporters’ appreciation when he was still playing for the academy, and since he broke into the first team, that has gone up exponentially.

Despite that, there were rumours in the summer that Arsenal could sell Lewis-Skelly to earn pure profit, and he was linked with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United.

Now, The Sun have revealed that the youngster considered moving himself, but his mind was changed following a ‘secret’ conversation with Arteta.

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During those talks, the Arsenal manager is said to have promised more game time for the England international and showed a change in system from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 to convince him.

Furthermore, Arteta apparently told Lewis-Skelly that he possesses a trait that not many others in the squad do – versatility.

The report claims that the 19-year-old’s ability to play as a left-back, anywhere in midfield and even as a left-winger is something Arteta had no intention of losing and made the same clear to everyone involved.

The feeling inside Arsenal following those successful talks is one of jubilation, with the belief that keeping Lewis-Skelly was ‘one of the biggest wins of the window’.

Keeping Myles Lewis-Skelly at Arsenal was a no-brainer

Arsenal fans were already upset that they didn’t sign a marquee attacker before the window shut.

If Andrea Berta had sold Lewis-Skelly on top of that, the anger within the fan base would have been unimaginable.

Lewis-Skelly has shown since the start of pre-season just how good a player he is. He has dominated games in the middle of the park at the highest level despite only being 19.

The only thought on Arsenal’s mind should be to develop him even further and help him fulfil his massive potential.

That is why keeping him at the club was a no-brainer.