Myles Lewis-Skelly’s secret weapon is Lomu-like hand-off

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Myles Lewis-Skelly’s protection of the ball has made him Arsenal’s most fouled player per 90 minutes played this season - Custom image

Such is the running power and physical strength of Myles Lewis-Skelly, he was once compared with the most devastating player in the history of rugby union. In a youth match between Arsenal and Chelsea a few years ago, Lewis-Skelly surged through midfield with such extraordinary force that an academy coach said: “It’s like Jonah Lomu, isn’t it?”


Comparisons between rugby and football rarely work, but in the case of Lewis-Skelly there are legitimate parallels to be drawn. Firstly, because of that Lomu-esque strength to knock opposition players to the floor. Secondly, because the Arsenal teenager is already a master of one of rugby’s most eye-catching skills: the hand-off.

In football, the use of the arms is generally associated with defending. A powerful defender might use his arms to lever an opponent off the ball, or to move his body across an attacker while jostling for possession. But for Lewis-Skelly, the arms are also attacking weapons. He regularly uses them to drive past opponents, win fouls and generate space in tight areas.

It is a rare skill, even in the Premier League, and an attribute that has been hugely important to Lewis-Skelly’s remarkable breakthrough campaign. A frequent sight this season has been the 18-year-old receiving the ball under pressure, throwing out his arms to shield the ball and then playing his way out of trouble.

The most striking example of his strength and awareness came on his England debut, when he scored against Albania. As he raced on to Jude Bellingham’s pass, Lewis-Skelly’s instinct was to reach out his right arm and seek contact with the defender, Jasir Asani. In pushing Asani away, Lewis-Skelly bought himself a crucial extra second, creating the angle for a finish between the goalkeeper’s legs.

“He has always been very comfortable running past players and holding people away from him and very far from the ball,” said Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager. “It is a natural thing.”

This ability to alter the pace of the game is one of the many reasons why Arsenal are so keen to extend Lewis-Skelly’s contract and secure his services for the long-term. The academy graduate’s current deal expires at the end of next season (the summer of 2026), and is therefore becoming an increasingly pressing issue for the club. For Andrea Berta, the new sporting director, an improved contract for Lewis-Skelly is surely one of the top priorities.

Most footballers look to avoid opponents when they are dribbling. Lewis-Skelly, by contrast, often appears to seek them out. Once they are within touching distance, he uses his arms and strength to generate momentum by pushing them away. He is able to do this from a standing start, or while running at top speed.


There have been numerous examples this season. Against Wolves, he barrelled past three opponents on one run through midfield, using his arms to push each of them out of his path. Against Aston Villa, he repeatedly treated the torso Morgan Rogers – one of the league’s most powerful players – as a personal springboard. Against Manchester City, Erling Haaland received a palm in the throat as he tried and failed to chase down Lewis-Skelly.

The consequence of all this is that Lewis-Skelly is exceedingly difficult to dispossess. Indeed, his ability to protect the ball means that opponents often resort to simply fouling him. In all competitions this season, Lewis-Skelly has drawn an average of 2.85 fouls per 90 minutes – by far the most of any Arsenal player. Their second most fouled player is Bukayo Saka, who has drawn 1.98 fouls per 90 minutes this campaign.

Across all 20 Premier League clubs, only four players have drawn fouls more frequently than Lewis-Skelly this season: Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United), James Maddison (Tottenham Hotspur) and Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa).

Lewis-Skelly’s ability to protect the ball and win fouls makes him the footballing equivalent of a pressure valve. Under close attention from opponents, he usually either finds a way through the bodies or wins a free-kick for his team.

Declan Rice, Lewis-Skelly’s Arsenal and England team-mate, recently compared the teenager with one of the most highly respected players of recent years. “He has got that Mousa Dembélé trait where he uses his body to get away from stuff,” Rice said. “Sometimes it is risky but to show that at 18, the personality and character, honestly it’s unbelievable.”

Former Spurs midfielder Dembélé might not be regarded as a Premier League great by the wider world but, within the industry, there is an acknowledgement that he was one of the finest players of his generation. At the height of his powers, Dembélé’s Spurs team-mates and opponents would regularly declare him the best player they had played with or against.

MLS = M.Dembele

Stocky frame
Core/body strength
Close control
Burst

But focus on how they use their arms. @juegodeposting said it well: Destroys guys with his arms is right out of the NFL playbook. Regularly stiff arms his way to separation.pic.twitter.com/ambsJoEQtHhttps://t.co/WoT0bAO1Rq

— kimmoFC (@kimmoFC) October 9, 2024

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of Lewis-Skelly’s skillset is that it makes him well-suited to playing in more advanced positions. It should not be forgotten that he was a midfield player in Arsenal’s academy and only converted to left-back when he joined the first team for pre-season training last summer. In the long run, Arteta has said, Lewis-Skelly could become a box-to-box midfielder.

Lewis-Skelly’s courageous use of his body can lead to danger, of course. It is certainly possible that a sly opponent might wait for the Arsenal player’s arm to reach out and then collapse to the turf in an attempt to trick the referee. There will also be times when Lewis-Skelly gets it wrong, as he did against West Ham United a few weeks ago. In an attempt to spin away from Mohammed Kudus, he lost the ball and was shown a red card.

Overall, though, the teenager has routinely displayed a level of technical, mental and physical skill far beyond his years. As he matures, tactically and physically, he should only become more effective at protecting possession, dismissing his opponents and rampaging downfield with that Lomu-esque threat.

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