Arsenal have unearthed their own Trent in “fearless” Hale End superstar

Arsenal have long been a hotbed of academy talent.

The likes of Ashley Cole, Tony Adams, Andy Cole and Ray Parlour have all come through the Gunners’ youth system before going on to have stellar careers in the top flight.

That conveyor belt has continued into today as well, with the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Alex Iwobi and Joe Willock all starring for Premier League sides, while Bukayo Saka has gone on to become the club’s homegrown talisman.

We are now witnessing yet another crop of sensational prospects making their way into senior football, and among them could be Arsenal’s own version of full-back extraordinaire and man of the moment, Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Where Arsenal could find their own Alexander-Arnold

There has been a real trend with Arsenal’s last few summer transfer windows of the club failing to buy enough attackers but always signing a new goalkeeper and at least one full-back.

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This has led to the club having a sizable contingent of players capable of playing on either side of a back four, so many players, in fact, that a number of them simply have to be sold this summer.

Starting with those who will almost certainly not be moved on, we have Jurrien Timber and Ben White, who look set to compete for the right-back slot, Riccardo Calafiori, who only joined the club last summer.

You’ve also got the injury-stricken Takehiro Tomiyasu, who finally underwent surgery this year and should hopefully be back in contention at some point next season.

Then, in terms of exits, we know Kieran Tierney is going back to Celtic, and given the interest in Oleksandr Zinchenko during the winter window and his incredibly diminished role in the first team, it looks very likely that he’ll also be on his way out.

It’s far more challenging to assess where Jakub Kiwior’s future lies, as while he is pretty far down the pecking order at full-back, he’s stepped up as centre-back cover several times, and as he earns a relatively low wage of £58k-per-week, the manager might decide to keep him on the books for another year.

Finally, there is one more player who has been a star at full-back for Arsenal this season, an academy gem who could be the club’s own Trent.

Arsenal’s superstar in the making

As we’ve already gone over practically every one of Arsenal’s extensive list of full-back options above, the player who could be Arsenal’s own version of Trent is none other than Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Now, there are quite a few similarities between the sensationally gifted Liverpool star and the increasingly exciting Hale Ender that make this comparison possible.

The first few, and somewhat shallow, ones are the facts they both came up through the youth systems of ‘big six’ sides, they’re both now England internationals, and they’re both local to the clubs they represent, with the Gunners gem being born in Islington.

However, perhaps the most significant similarity between them is their position and possible futures.

While he started out as a midfielder in the academy, the North Londoners’ “fearless” prospect, as dubbed by Declan Rice, came into the first team this season as full-back cover and has played so unbelievably well that he has been starting ahead of summer signing Calafiori.

Moreover, like the Reds star, he might not necessarily be the best lock-down defender going, but he offers so much more to the team when attacking, be that through his ability to carry the ball up the pitch or with pinpoint passes from his wand of a left foot.

Finally, there is a chance that both players could eventually find themselves playing in the middle of the park, as the Liverpool-born superstar looks set on joining Real Madrid, who might look to make the most of his on-the-ball ability, and the Hale Ender has spent most of his junior career there anyway.

Ultimately, we are not saying that Lewis-Skelly is anywhere near the player Trent is at the moment, but from their breakthrough to their positions and potential, there are some undeniable similarities between the pair.

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