Following their dismal defeat to Newcastle United in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final on Wednesday night, Arsenal have flown out to Dubai for a warm-weather training camp.
Mikel Arteta took his side to the Middle Eastern city around this time last year, and it was just what they needed, as for the rest of the season, they were practically unstoppable.
The Spaniard will be hoping for a similar effect this time, as so far, the Gunners’ campaign has not gone to plan, with Liverpool holding a commanding lead in the Premier League title race.
However, while much of the first-team squad has seen their form drop this season, academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly has stepped up, although one of the club’s loanees is having an even better campaign on the continent.
Myles Lewis-Skelly's season so far
Compared to the last two, this season has felt like a slog for Arsenal, with injuries, suspensions and inconsistent form making it particularly hard to enjoy for a fanbase who have been so close for so long.
However, the breakthrough of the club’s academy talents has undoubtedly been a welcome surprise, especially in the case of Lewis-Skelly, who has already established himself as a key member of Arteta’s first team, perhaps even more so than the incredible Ethan Nwaneri.
The young Englishman first grabbed the headlines in the first game against Manchester City, as after telling David Raya to stay down, he picked up a yellow card before even making his Premier League debut – if that doesn’t sound like an Arteta player, then we don’t know what does.
However, while he’s an excellent wind-up merchant – just look at the media over the last week or so – he’s also proving to be an incredible player, someone who is capable of going up against the best attackers in the league and not only holding his own but coming out on top at times.
The Islington-born phenom is far tougher than he has any right to be at his age, can gallop past players with the ball at his feet, and, as we’ve seen on several occasions now, has a brilliant pass on him and a lovely shot, which has seen him pick up a goal in his 20 first team appearances this season.
However, while the firm fan favourite is having an exceptional breakthrough year, one of the club’s loanees is currently enjoying an even better season.
The Arsenal loanee on fire this season
Several Arsenal players are out on loan this season, from Reiss Nelson at Fulham to Fabio Viera at Porto and even Marquinhos, who’s now plying his trade with Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro.
While they are enjoying various levels of success, none of them are blowing the roof off anywhere, apart from Nuno Tavares.
The Portuguese left-back was sent to Serie A outfit Lazio on a season-long deal with a clause that, should certain conditions be met, the Italians will purchase the player for around £7.6m, and it is safe to say that will happen.
Despite struggling at the Emirates a few seasons ago and looking out of sorts on loan at Nottingham Forest last season, the 25-year-old has been nothing short of a phenomenon in Rome.
For example, in the 19 appearances he made before suffering a recent abductor injury, the near enough “unstoppable” full-back, as dubbed by Italian football expert James Horncastle, racked up a sensational tally of nine assists, which comes out to one every 2.11 games.
Appearances
19
Minutes
1390
Goals
0
Assists
9
Goal Involvements per Match
0.47
Minutes per Goal Involvement
154.44′
It would be fair to say that Horncastle’s description of the talented international as “one of the signings of the season” is more than accurate and that should he maintain this sort of form on his return from injury, it could be one of the best campaigns by a full-back in years.
Ultimately, Arsenal look like they have a future superstar in Lewis-Skelly, but given his incredible attacking output so far, you’d have to say Tavares is just about having the better season.
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