After years of building it up, Arsenal now have one of, if not the best, squad in the Premier League.
Some might say that Liverpool and Manchester City have stronger starting lineups, but when it comes to genuine quality depth, the Gunners stand head and shoulders above the rest.
For example, they’re currently top of the table and without club captain Martin Odegaard, who looked excellent in the couple of appearances he made before his MCL injury.
Moreover, Mikel Arteta already has someone in the squad today who feels destined to one day take the Norwegian’s armband and shirt number.
Arsenal’s greatest number eights
Being the massive club they are, Arsenal have had some genuinely incredible players don their famous red and white over the years, and there have been some exceptional players with the number eight on their back.
Every fan is going to have a different top three players to wear the number, but here, the third spot goes to someone who’s not quite a legend, but most certainly a cult hero: Aaron Ramsey.
The Welsh international wore the shirt from the 16/17 to the 18/19 seasons, and while he didn’t win a league during his time in North London, he did win three FA Cups.
Moreover, he scored the winner against Hull City and Chelsea, so without him, the 2010s would have been far bleaker for the Gunners.
Up next is a bona fide legend, and someone who even managed the club on an interim basis in 2019: Freddie Ljungberg.
The Swedish superstar wore the number between the 98/99 and 06/07 seasons, during which he made 328 appearances, scoring 72 goals, providing 40 assists and winning two league titles, three FA Cups and two Player of the Year awards from the club.
Finally, when it comes to the most iconic number eight in the Gunners’ storied history, it is impossible to look past Mr Arsenal himself: Ian Wright.
The legendary centre-forward wore the shirt for the majority of his time at Highbury, and had it on his back when he broke Cliff Bastin’s goalscoring record in 1997, which was then broken again by a certain Frenchman.
Now, while that is the top three as things stand, there is every chance Odegaard could replace Ramsey if he leads Arsenal to a title this season, and years from now, one of his teammates could take the eight off his hands.
Arsenal’s future eight
There are a few options for players in the current Arsenal squad who could take the eight shirt from Odegaard in the future, from Ethan Nwaneri to Max Dowman.
However, the former feels more likely to inherit the ten, and the latter could be a perfect long-term Bukayo Saka replacement.
Therefore, the Norwegian’s shirt feels far more likely to come to Myles Lewis-Skelly.
After all, while he’s been playing exceptionally well at left-back over the last year or so, everyone is well aware that his most played position in the academy, and the one he’s expected to move into at some point, is central midfield.
Moreover, as if anyone needed more convincing of his ability to change games from the middle of the park, he did exactly that against Atletico Madrid.
Just seven minutes after Gabriel Magalhães scored the opening goal, the 19-year-old monster picked up the ball in the middle of the park, drove past half the Atleti team, and provided Gabriel Martinelli a perfect pass to put the ball in the back of the net.
On top of that, he has also proven himself to be far tougher and more willing to throw his weight around than people would have expected for someone his age.
Lewis-Skelly’s Arsenal record
Appearances
47
Starts
29
Minutes
2659′
Goals
1
Assists
4
Points per Game
2.13
It’s this fearlessness and incredible self-belief that have helped him become such a prominent part of this squad so early on in his career, and why club insider Hand of Arsenal has already dubbed him a “future captain.”
These traits have also seen England manager Thomas Tuchel take a keen liking to him, and as he’s already won six senior caps for the Three Lions, there is every chance he’s on the plane to the World Cup next year.
Ultimately, it’s still incredibly early in his career, but Lewis-Skelly is clearly going to become a midfielder in the future, and if he keeps performing the way he is, it feels inevitable that he will become Arsenal’s next number eight.
