Nwaneri & Lewis-Skelly: Arsenal's Next Gen
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The Athletic FC Podcast Network. Waineri, trying that with the left foot, a cracking hit that is. Excellent feet from Lewis Skelly, he plays with so much confidence. Since these two boys have come into the team, they've pretty much been flawless. Ethan Waineri made himself room to shoot and showed us all what it's about. Brilliant. Miles Lewis Skelly!

They're incredibly special talents. The rest of the country don't realise how good these two are. They're trying things and it's working and it's just reinforcing how much quality that they have and how much belief they have in their own ability. They feel that they can affect the game and they just go and do it. Rather than being too coached, they just play football and that's, I think, the biggest compliment you can pay to them.

Ethan Waineri and Myles Lewis-Skelly both joined Arsenal's Hayland Academy in May 2015, aged eight. Adam Birchall, currently Arsenal Under-18s coach, was key in their evolution at the club. I think with Myles and Ethan, and I had them, I think, for six years growing up, I had quite a unique insight to their journey. So it's important with these guys that during their development, we don't see them as a pair. The skill of coaching is to celebrate each player individually

on their own individual journey and based on what they're trying to work on, highlight that to the group. Early on, Ethan strived to play up a little bit more. Myles, we were a little bit more conservative with. On that personal level, he's very comfortable around his age group. He found it challenging to play up emotionally. What you can't have is a straight road to success because when the challenge comes, how are you going to deal with it? You learn no coping strategies.

So their challenges came in different ways through playing up. Sometimes it was final tour. With those two, quite often we got to the final and things, futsal, things like that. Didn't always win. I remember one in Japan where we got to the final against Barcelona. We went 1-0 up. Myles played the ball through to Ethan. He scores. First kick of the game, we're thinking, oh, Barca. And I don't think we touched it after that. For them and how much they want to win and how much they wanted to impact the game, they didn't win.

And I remember how hurt they were after it. And it was about capturing those moments as well. And it definitely wasn't plain sailing for them, but it shouldn't be either. One thing is the talent. The next challenge is the social side of it. So we have a hybrid model where the lads will still be at school.

where other academies will have maybe a full-time programme, we really believe that they should be at school, should be around their friends, but around their teachers as well. Ultimately, when they come in here, then it's about the environment, the culture of the lads that are in here full-time to really embrace them and staff to help them with that. The environment you set and the standards you hold over a long period of time has a knock-on effect to players. Lewis Skelly.

What I see from them that I've seen throughout is their application to wanting to be the best they can be. So that mentality approach, just relentless, relentless.

In May 2021, at just 14 years old, Ethan and Miles made their under-18 debuts in a 6-1 win over Reading, with both players coming off the bench to score. It's one airy. Here's Louis Skelly. Right to the challenge. Oh, they're lining up in the middle. It's one airy. I'm Amy Lawrence, Arsenal correspondent for The Athletic. I love that they've come through together. I think that is...

a beautiful thing for both of those boys in the same way as it was a beautiful thing for Saka and Smith Rowe. We're good friends, man, and obviously we grew up together through the academy and stuff, so, yeah, we always talk about it, like, coming all the way through and, like, getting an opportunity to play together for the first team, like, that was always the dream for all of us, you know? You know, the fact that they were even entwined in song said a lot about when Bukayo Saka and Emma Smith Rowe came through together.

And because they're going through this very unusual journey that very few people get to share ever, you know, when you look at the statistics of the number of academy players who ever make it to play football at any level professionally, never mind Premier League or Champions League, it's minuscule. So the vast majority of your peers will not make it.

When you're joining a pre-academy at the age of five or six and going of an evening to Hairland or wherever around different clubs and the years go by and people fall away and others come and it's a constant kind of conveyor belt of competition. And to go through all of that at your club and then make it into the first team and all the attention and scrutiny and emotion that comes with that.

It's a pretty crazy and probably even slightly isolating thing if it's just you. But if you've got your best mate with you, doing it alongside you, shoulder to shoulder, it's a phenomenal extra pleasure. You know, they can look into each other's eyes and nod at each other. They probably don't even need to say a word.

And I think that while they know exactly what each other's going through at this specific moment in time, Bukayo knows it too, but with a bit more experience. I think with Bukayo having walked in their shoes, I think that makes a big difference. I'm Art de Rocher, Arsenal correspondent for The Athletic.

Obviously, when Bakayo himself came into the team, the players that he was kind of looking up to as role models and were helping him were players like David Luiz and Alexandre Lacazette. And even though those were very good professionals, international players who had been in a lot of different changing rooms and had a lot of experience,

They didn't know what it was like to come through Arsenal's academy from six, seven, eight years old, come into the first team and have that life. Bukayo's got this wonderful generosity of spirit. He's very kind and generous and he makes people around him feel good. And I think that the fact that Myles and Ethan have got

just only to look a few yards across the dressing room or the next table at the training ground or whatever it is. They're together day in, day out. It's a resource that is immensely helpful.

I think even after the Monaco game, Bakayo and Myles had a little post-match interview on the pitch. I just said to him, like I said to him before the game, that this is his level. He needs to have no doubts and play with the confidence. What he's doing, we see it in training. So, yeah, I was pleased with him and he was a big part of the first goal. And I think that's such a big thing for these young guys to have. Someone who's championing them and telling them that they belong there.

He can share, having been through a lot, how to deal with setbacks, which are inevitable at some point, how to deal with different types of attention, how to deal with football challenges. And he will be a sharer. He will see it as his happiness to help look after those lads as they're making their sort of first steps into the big time. Ethan's very first steps at Arsenal came before Hale End at the club's pre-academy. Ethan was, he was six years of age.

He was like this little dot you could see already. I mean, God, he was doing things with the football that, you know, I probably still can't do to this day. Current England under-16s coach Greg Lincoln spent 12 years at Arsenal. At that time, I was head foundation phase coach. You had...

Bakayo Saka's cohort. The year above that was Flo Baligan. The year above that was Emile Smith-Rowe, Reece Nelson, Jadon Anthony. And then the year above that, you had Joe Willock, Josh De Silva. So there's a lot of sort of players coming through. The pre-academy were trained with a guy called Francis Tardioli, who was great with the kids. You know, they come in, big smiles on their faces. They

They couldn't wait. You know, Liam Brady always had this big thing about the kids racing into the training ground. They couldn't wait to get there and play football with their friends.

I just sort of struck a relationship up there with his dad, Obi, and obviously, you know, very young Ethan at that time. Obi's really passionate about his football. The pre-academy training would finish. The parents would all be rushing off. And, you know, an hour later, Obi would still be there and Ethan would still be there. And you'd see him watching the older boys on tiptoes looking through the fence.

It's a real challenge, I believe, for these parents, depending on your background. It can be quite overwhelming. If you have a family member that's in an academy, the level of dedication, the way that it overtakes the entire family existence for sometimes close to a decade is incredible.

Extraordinary. Everyone wants to get involved, especially around those players that have got this unique talent and passion for football. It's sort of almost miraculous sometimes that some kids come through like Miles and Ethan have done and are so level-headed and easygoing and take things in their stride. And that is because that support system has been exceptional.

That's what's really important. You're supporting the player from multiple angles. If you take, say, Myles, for example, Marcia and Ethan with Obi, they didn't want them to be treated any different. And I think that was such a key thing because it really helped them in their values, in everything during the journey. I just think there's this general feeling, and it was ever thus, that if you know that these are people

People who have been shaped by the club's values, by the community's values, by your manners values as they develop as a young human being as well as a young footballer. It always feels like something extra.

The club put a great store in their player care system so that these kids can come through and hopefully manage most of the experiences that they have. In September 2022, at just 15 years old, Ethan made his first team debut. It hasn't been Brentford's day, and it certainly is Ethan Nanweri's day.

He is now the youngest ever Premier League player. 15 years and 181 days. Unbelievable really, isn't it? When I think back to when I was 15, you know. We always consider Bukayo Saka as a young player, don't we? He's only 21. Well, he was at school when Ethan Manwari was born.

I do think it was quite a remarkable venue, let's just say, or scenario for his debut. You know, you think about the majority of the young players coming through and their first goes tend to come, you know, the League Cup or maybe a Europa League group game. And actually, you know, away from home in the Premier League. Wow. He's only 15, chant the Arsenal fans.

The big challenge for young players, again, it goes back to the person. You have to be able to go over there around these superstars, around this different environment and be able to go, here I am, here I am. And that's where being comfortable in who you are ultimately can make a difference.

Because you can have all the talent in the world, but the moment you step on in front of 68,000 and the moment you go train with people that you look up to and you're like, wow, and I did it. If you're not really comfortable with who you are, then you will struggle with that. And then you struggle to get your talent out. So it is reflecting on those bits as well, preparing them as people to show their ability. You've got school in the morning. Actually, he hasn't. It's a bank holiday tomorrow, but you get that point. Go, go, school, man.

Miles' first team debut also came away from home in the Premier League, at Champions Manchester City.

I think you have to have immense faith in a young player to throw them into a game like that. There's an immense attention. There's an immense tension. And you could be eaten alive in a scenario like that if you weren't of a certain type of mentality and a certain type of character. He's very outwardly confident with that. And you've probably seen that, I guess, before he kicked the ball for Arsenal's first team at Manchester City. There's a yellow card for somebody.

Going first to give David Raya some instructions and getting booked for that, but then also the moment with Erling Haaland. Miles Lewis-Skelly at the end of that game was questioned, who are you? There may have been another couple of words in there.

I asked Pema Saka about that the other season and he just said that comes from wanting to be a good teammate first and foremost not trying to I guess show anyone up or anything like that he's just trying to do the best for Arsenal and I think you could really see that in those sorts of actions that aren't really football related From everything that Myles has shown since coming into the team you can sort of almost see with hindsight why Mikel Arteta felt he could trust him in that moment

and that he wouldn't be overwhelmed by it in the slightest and that he would relish it because he is relishing all these things. The personality in which he plays football with for Arsenal, I think you'd see how much confidence he has within himself and that's when then you get moments like his goal against Manchester City off his right foot. The ball by Rice, Lewis Skelly took it in his stride well and shoots! Nice goal! What a goal!

I'm James McNicholas, Arsenal correspondent for The Athletic.

It's been an event full-time for Myles Lewis-Skelly and the Arsenal first team. Some controversy surrounded him, of course, sent off against West Ham, sent off wrongly against Wolves, and then that was rescinded, hugely criticised, and again, I think very unfairly, for his celebration after scoring against Man City. What he has shown through this is a capacity to bounce back,

to be resilient. He is 18 years old and it's inevitable there will be errors, there will be lapses. Those are learning moments for those players and he's a learner. He's a voracious reader. He's always wanting to improve himself. So grateful for the team, putting trust in me and I just want to continue to repay them and be the best version of myself.

It's really interesting when you watch them both, say at Meadow Park, where the under-21s play, you get more of an intimate viewing of the players there. And even there you could tell Miles was a lot more vocal. They're not identical personalities. Obviously they're super close friends and they come through with this great shared experience. But I think there's more of an effervescence and a kind of outgoing personality

about Miles. I saw I was getting pressed, so I just thought, you know, keep calm, you know, take the man, take the ball away from him. Good feet. Excellent composure from Lewis Skelly under pressure and a good ball at the end of it to Jesus. It's a second! What a

I saw Gabby peel him off and I played through and then Vakaya had a great time for the finish, man. He's always there, so yeah, thanks for playing. Well, it's easy to focus on the goal scorer, but I'm not surprised the Arsenal team have gone across to Myles Lewis-Skelly. Great composure at the outset, very, very accurate ball and he played such a big role in the Arsenal goal. And a little bit more of a kind of calm, considered, slightly more reserved side.

personality that you get from Ethan. He's quite sort of shy really off the pitch. He's not someone who seeks that limelight but he loves the attention on the pitch because that's him, that's his arena, that's where he belongs. He loves the game. His face lights up and you can see he wants to be the main man. No, it was just all instinct. I just saw the space. I just sensed that the goalkeeper wouldn't expect the shot so I took it and scored.

Ethan Waneri on his first Champions League start for Arsenal with an absolute cracker. Nah, one of the highest, definitely, because it's Champions League. It's what I've loved and watched since I was young. So to come and win Man of the Match on my starting debut, that's a special feeling. I'm happy. But what they both share is that they have an inner determination and hunger and humility and work ethic and intelligence.

that has helped to guide them this far already and has enabled them to make that transition from academy to first team

Seamlessly. With Waniere, what's been so impressive is his confidence to make things happen. He seems like he already has the picture in his head before the ball's even reached him. His goal against Manchester City, he was calling for the ball for about 15 seconds before it eventually came to him and he bent it into the far corner. What a hit! What a hit! What a start!

People who watch him often are used to it because from watching him in the under-21s to now, it's the same player. And I don't mean that in a way where he hasn't evolved or anything, but what I mean is he came into the first team and he just played his game. He is what makes him special. It's what his brain thinks in the moment. And...

Here comes Duaneire, he's scored one fine goal already, he wants to get it onto his left. Duaneire, a brilliant strike. Our job really is to design practices that enhance these players' super strengths. But he's someone who'd be coming to you to say, right, can we do more shooting? Can we do this? Can we do that? Because he just wants to get better, he wants to be the best. Throughout their breakout season in the first team, Ethan and Myles have both played out of their natural positions. It speaks absolute volumes that...

both Miles and Ethan.

have stepped in to make a huge impression in the first team when they're being asked to do things that they haven't done their whole life. When I put them next to the boys, they are as good or better, you know, and that's really, really important and that they play with a lot of purpose and they contribute and to make things happen. That's what I like about both of them. It's remarkable, really. I mean, these two teenagers have made the breakthrough to the Arsenal first team, playing in roles that are relatively unfamiliar to them. I mean, Mars...

Mikel Arteta has spoken about how most of his development has been spent at the base of midfield as a number six. Only really in the last 12, 18 months did that transition begin for him to be used more at left back. And credit to the academy teams, they prepared him for this first team experience by starting to field him in that position. He continued it through to pre-season with the first team in that position. And now he looks so comfortable there. I think with...

the developments that are going to have to happen to Arsenal's midfield. I think he will get a chance in there. Mikel knows he can play there. I think it's just about getting the timing right. In all probability, talking about them in a couple of years' time, I'm not convinced either will be playing in the positions they're playing now. They might.

but they've got the potential to be in even more influential areas of the pitch. Ethan is the spark in attack, and I think he's hit levels that even Emile Smith-Rowe didn't hit. Jack Wilshere didn't hit this level this early either. Obviously, both as a fan and a correspondent, a writer, you're kind of wary of putting too much weight on him too early,

the thing about Ethan is he's been delivering were it not for an injury crisis in attack I don't think we would have seen him playing on the right wing for Arsenal you know conventionally he's been more of a number 10 a second striker a false 9 at times a number 8 at times but

But playing from out wide, he's absolutely excelled. And what's been striking is the speed at which he's adapted to that position, showing a capacity to not just go inside, as you would imagine, onto his stronger left foot, but also go outside. Here's the scorer of the second, Luaneri. And there's Odegaard, and there's a fourth for Arsenal.

For me, the whole position talk, I don't see pigeonholing him as the main way to go. I think you can just use him how the game needs him. I think he's a unicorn, really. He's not just a right winger. He's not just an attacking midfielder. He can do loads of different things and that's going to be really useful for Mikel Arteta for years to come. Neither Myles or Ethan are strangers to England's youth teams, having played up the age groups.

But in March 2025, Myles was selected to be part of England's senior squad. I was just shouting around my house, buzzing, you know, just honestly, I was elated. Very proud of him. It's a huge moment for him and for the club as well. Again, one of our graduates getting the call for England, it's a massive thing. So it's something for people to be inspired. I think it hasn't happened because he was lucky. I think he pushed for every chance to happen and the way he's done it. So, yeah, good example.

Well, it's massive for Myles Lewis-Skelly to get the England call-up. And I think Thomas Tuchel was quite responsible, really. I think in an ideal world, Lewis-Skelly would have joined Ranieri with the 21s and gone through that stage of their development together. As it happened, England had a bit of an injury crisis at left-back. And Myles Lewis-Skelly, who's playing regularly for Arsenal, became a must-pick. We accelerate Myles' career again, which was already on fast track in the last months.

and he's just nothing but impressive. In Thomas Tuchel's first game in charge, a World Cup qualifier against Albania, Miles was named in the starting 11. I think it's such a point of pride to see a player from the Arsenal Academy selected at such a young age, at such an early point in their career. When you look at what Miles has accomplished in his first few months in the first team, it's been an incredibly rapid rise. And he capped it.

He had the perfect moment, the debut goal. Here is Lewis Skelly, trying to get in behind. It's the perfect debut.

For the Arsenal teenager. 18 years, 176 days, the youngest man ever to score on his England debut. I'm lost for words really. I'm just so grateful for the manager to put trust in me and the teammates. They paid me so much trust today and I'm so happy, you know, I'm lost for words. On the one hand, you're absolutely astonished. You say, this is extraordinary. You almost can't believe it's happening. And on the other hand...

It absolutely tallies with everything we've seen so far. This is a young man who, whatever the circumstance, whatever the stage, whatever he's been called upon to do, has delivered and delivered emphatically. And he rose to the occasion again at Wembley in front of 80,000 England fans by scoring that goal. He believes that he belongs and he shows that in his performances.

When you look at this season in particular for the men's first team, in general, it might be one to forget with everything that's gone on, the injuries, the red cards, tailing off in the title race. But the more I see these two play, the more I see them as players who have really lifted this season for Arsenal. We're all super proud of them and it just shows that it's possible. That's what they're showing right now.

You know, you see not just their technical skills and their ability to transfer, but the ability to go into a first team environment and show their personality and connect with the first team manager and the first team players. That's what being a strong young gunner is all about. That real strength as a person and understanding yourself. It is a team effort. You see the player, you see Ethan or you see Myles coming on the pitch and doing something amazing. But behind that moment is...

Years of dedication and calm, considered, caring thinking from their family and from the extended family that look after them, whether that's at the club or whether that's people that they lean on outside. Being at Arsenal, I think it's 25 years now, what you'd love is that they all go through and they play for our first team. Do you know what I mean? Because you end up caring so much about the boy.

Love the club. I mean, that's perfect, right? But the reality of football is it's not that. You care about them. If they can go on and try to live their dream, so proud and happy for them. That's the main thing. Happy for them. That's why they're here. That's why this academy runs. No, it's to produce players. This episode was written and produced by me, Jay Beale. Your experts were Adam Birchall, Greg Lincoln, Art de Rocher, James McNicholas and Amy Lawrence.