End of the Road for Zubimendi at Arsenal as Lewis-Skelly Shines for England

· GiveMeSport

One Arsenal star's Emirates career could be done after a 'phenomenal' ace shone once again on international duty.

Arsenal are the reigning Premier League champions and are blessed with an embarrassment of riches in their squad for manager Mikel Arteta .

After battling Man City to win the title by seven points last season, the Gunners went big in the transfer window to bring in Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimaraes, and Ezri Konsa to further bolster the squad, and cement themselves as having the best roster of players to choose from in the country.

But there have been other changes within their squad since the back end of last season, which have potentially rendered one of the big money options available to the manager useless.

With Arsenal chasing the Premier League title last season, Arteta called upon one of his Hale End faithfuls in Myles Lewis-Skelly to come in from the cold and inject some positivity into their play.

Having been a back-up left-back option for much of the campaign, the youngster took his place in the heart of the team's midfield alongside Declan Rice and immediately established himself as a top star. So much so, that the then-19-year-old kept his place in the team and started in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Despite the defeat in that game, he proved he can play at the highest level in that role, which made the move for Guimaraes slightly more confusing. But when the Brazil star was available and willing to join, it was a deal they couldn't look past.

The new season started with Lewis-Skelly still first-choice in midfield, and he has made that position his own, forcing Guimaraes to wait for his place in the team.

His form has seen him earn a recall to the England squad under Thomas Tuchel too, and the 20-year-old star started in central midfield against world champions Spain and Czechia. Despite defeat at Wembley to Spain, Lewis-Skelly was excellent in his performance and showed that he belongs.

Another Arsenal star, meanwhile, couldn't get on the pitch in that game, and it has shown how the landscape has changed over recent months.

Last summer, Arsenal splashed £60m to improve their midfield with the signing of Martin Zubimendi ahead of clubs like Real Madrid and Liverpool, and the deal looked to be a great move.

The Spaniard immediately became a key player under Arteta, dictating the tempo deeper in the field. But as the season went on he grew very tired, and his performances dipped and led to him losing his place.

Now, it's very fair to argue that he could potentially be fifth choice behind Rice, Guimaraes, Lewis-Skelly, and Mikel Merino in the pecking order. With the January transfer window approaching, and a lack of game time on the horizon, an exit can't be completely ruled out, and it's all because of the rise of Lewis-Skelly.

Arsenal have been linked with a move to sign Manchester City forward Erling Haaland.

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