Five Arsenal children set to shine within the Carabao Cup

Now it’s time for Arsenal‘s kids to shine.

Mikel Arteta is usually averse to taking a chance on youth, but he has little choice. After a bruising 2-2 draw at Manchester City on Sunday, the Gunners face Bolton on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup third round and, amid a punishing schedule featuring two games in most weeks, rotation is necessary to rest his frontline stars.

After this game, the Gunners will face Leicester, Paris Saint-Germain and Southampton before the next international break, with just a matter of days between each fixture. 

That gives a collection of talented starlets who have been patiently waiting in the wings — some for over a year — the chance to shine.

Here, Mail Sport provides the lowdown on five Arsenal youngsters in line to be given a rare start — including a 16-year-old rookie goalkeeper set to be thrust into the limelight.

Myles Lewis-Skelly

It was some way to mark a Premier League debut. Before Lewis-Skelly had even entered the pitch in injury time against Man City on Sunday, he had earlier been booked by referee Michael Oliver for ‘unsporting conduct’.

The 17-year-old was understood to have spoken to David Raya behind the goal line, prior to Raya falling to the floor.

And then, shortly before the full-time whistle, the 5ft 10in starlet was seen squaring up to Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian shouted ‘who the f*** are you’ at him, betraying his lack of knowledge – but Arsenal’s first-team setup certainly know.

When asked about the duel, Arteta said: ‘He’s a competitor. You look at him in every duel he goes, the way he reacts with his team-mates, you speak to him and its constantly eye contact. He’s nudging, he’s asking questions, he’s a special character.’ 

Lewis-Skelly has long been in contention. First-team minutes on the pitch this season were only a matter of time, having starred with the Under-21s last season — he played 12 times in the Premier League 2.

His performances had caught the eye. Some figures even liken him to an Oleksandr Zinchenko-prototype, having been moulded from a midfielder to an inverted left back.

That could be seen across the Gunners’ US pre-season tour. It was Lewis-Skelly’s display against Bournemouth in Los Angeles that really set the tone for this season.

His defensive work was good, but it was the defender’s ease at inverting into midfield from left back which shone, poking holes through when in attack.

It is this versatility that Arteta is a big fan of and wants to utilise going forward.

He said: ‘He can play in three positions basically: as a left back, as a six, as an eight. He’s very versatile, he adapts. From there, he can occupy different spaces.

‘He’s very adaptable, that’s the good thing about Myles — he’s very intelligent, very thorough. He has some unbelievable questions every time you ask him to do something, and he has the competitive edge which I think is demanded at this level. And he really wants it, so we are going to use him in different positions.’

Off the pitch, Lewis-Skelly is now seen as part of the first team at Arsenal rather than an academy player. At a London Fashion Week event held at the Emirates last week, he was given a front-row seat alongside Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori – adidas had invited him and he was keen to be there.

It shows the regard he is held in. The teenager is confident and full of energy, wanting to constantly learn and throw himself into new experiences both in and outside of football.

His grounding and focus derives from his determined mother Marcia Lewis. In a bid to protect her son, she underwent a master’s degree in football business and studied for FIFA’s football agent exam.

Marcia is, effectively, Lewis-Skelly’s representative, knowing she would have his best interests at heart.

She has since launched a platform called No1Fan.club, which provides a support network and community for families whose children are involved football from grassroots to the highest level.

With Lewis-Skelly’s career going from strength to strength, her hands will be full.

Ethan Nwaneri

Ever since Arteta made Nwaneri the youngest player in Premier League history, bringing him on against Brentford in September 2022, the focus surrounding the teenager has been intense.

He was aged just 15 years and 181 days then and, ever since, supporters have been clamouring for him to feature in the first team.

The attacking midfielder has been likened to Martin Odegaard in his flair, dribbling ability and eye for defence-splitting passes. A glimpse of this could be seen in his recent cameo in the 1-0 victory over Tottenham.

Overall, opportunities have been scarce. He did come on in Arsenal’s 6-0 thrashing of West Ham in February — the only current academy player to feature for the first team last season in the league.

He was also named on the bench for three Champions League matches. Yet it is against Bolton where he will be given a real chance to showcase his skills.

Both he and fellow 17-year-old Lewis Skelly rose up the ranks together and are close. Nwaneri joined the Gunners aged nine, while his team-mate joined aged eight.

Nwaneri’s footballing ability earned him a football scholarship at the well-regarded St John’s Senior School in Enfield.

His headteacher Alexander Tardios told Mail Sport: ‘The thing about Ethan is that despite being talented, he is extremely humble, hardworking, diligent and serious. He has a certain maturity about him which is unusual to see at such a young age.’

Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand

The career of Oulad M’Hand has taken a drastic turn. The fact he is in contention to start an Arsenal first-team match appeared extremely unlikely just two years ago.

In August 2022, the now 21-year-old had moved to Hull on a season-long loan, which included an option to buy. 

Though Oulad M’Hand picked up an injury in Arsenal’s pre-season tour. That saw him recalled to his parent club without playing a single game for Hull.

In some ways, it was as a blessing in disguise. The attacking midfielder rose up the academy ranks and earned a spot in last summer’s pre-season tour.

He was, arguably, the surprise package. Everyone around the club knew and expected what was to come from Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly and Ayden Heaven.

But Oulad M’Hand, whose 19-year-old brother Ismail is also in the Arsenal academy, was more of an unknown package. Could he really step up to such a level?

This is a Premier League title-contending team. Not many youngsters would be able to share a pitch with the likes of Odegaard and Jurrien Timber as he did in pre-season, and, crucially, not look out of place.

But he did, excelling and willing to play in tight areas. He operates as an attacking midfielder, but can also be utilised out wide.

It would have been easier to hide on tour, but he didn’t. He’s made so much of an impression that he’s been on the bench against Atalanta and Brighton this season.

Ayden Heaven

It was against Manchester United in July, in Los Angeles, which gave an insight into why the sky is the limit for Heaven.

He made a mistake to allow Rasmus Hojlund to muscle in and score the opener. Many a 17-year-old would have let their head drop.

Yet, Heaven brushed that aside and put in a swashbuckling display.

Arteta said afterwards: ‘Very impressive. At 17 I don’t know how many players are able to do that in a stage like this.

‘He’s lot a duel against one of the strongest and fastest players in the world (Hojlund). It can happen. What is his reaction after? I see the composure, the quality and the body language he has — it’s remarkable. I’m really, really happy with him.’

Heaven is confident on the ball – a trait required of modern centre backs — and not afraid to get stuck into challenges. His ball-playing ability can get him into trouble defensively, which is something to be worked on.

He previously played in midfield before the role change. The versatile defender was at West Ham between the ages of eight and 12, before subsequently being released and making a move to the Arsenal academy.

Jack Porter

The wild card in the pack. Goalkeeper Porter, at just 16, has only played one game for the Arsenal Under-21s, yet finds himself in the miraculous position of being in line for a first-team start.

David Raya sustained a knock against Man City and was seen limping after the match. He is set to be rested after a series of blockbuster displays, to then return for Arsenal’s Premier League fixture against Leicester this Saturday.

Their No 2 Neto, who signed on loan from Bournemouth over the summer, is cup-tied having started for the Cherries in their second-round defeat by West Ham before he completed his transfer to north London.

And then promising 18-year-old Tommy Setford, formerly of the Ajax youth team, has not been in the Arsenal squad since the international break because of fitness issues.

Arteta is likely to be forced to turn to Porter. The teenager is an unknown quantity, even to those around the club, as he has been barely exposed to playing time at senior levels of the academy — never mind the first team.

Porter’s Arsenal Under-21 debut was only last month against Wolves, and he would become the second-youngest player in the club’s history if he appears against Bolton, behind only Nwaneri.

Owing to the Spaniard’s reluctance to over expose youth, to Arteta this would be a gamble he’d want to avoid — but may need to take.