While Lewis-Skelly was a key figure in the final weeks of the season, helping Arsenal clinch their first Premier League crown since 2004, he struggled for consistent minutes earlier in the year. Arteta previously addressed the situation, stating: “I’ve been tough on him. He had a spectacular season last year when he jumped into the first team. He had some difficult moments after that, but he stayed very humble, very focused, very aligned with what we wanted to do, and I knew he was ready. He’s been showing in training every day the opportunities that he had to play.”
Reflecting on his hesitation to deploy the 19-year-old in a midfield role following a spectacular display in a 3-0 win against Fulham last season, Arteta added: “Probably I don’t have a clue and maybe I should have done it earlier, I don’t know. But I have to do things when I believe that the player is ready, the team is ready and the opponent is the right one to play with him in that position. We’ve done it today, it’s the first time.
“It was a big risk because I knew what was going to happen. If it works it’s great, if we’d have lost the game – ‘How do you play a kid at this age in this scenario in a position he hasn’t played?’ I knew that but I had the feeling it was the right game for him.”