Arsenal latest: Myles Lewis-Skelly comments speak volumes as Mikel Arteta receives warning

Arsenal prepare to host Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup before returning to the Premier League title race in midweek

Arsenal shift their focus to the FA Cup this Sunday as their relentless schedule continues.

The Gunners remain in contention across four competitions – the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Champions League alongside their Premier League campaign. This weekend sees the historic cup competition take centre stage as they welcome Wigan Athletic to the Emirates Stadium, looking to keep their quadruple hopes alive.

Arsenal cruised past Portsmouth in the previous round, courtesy of an own goal and a Gabriel Martinelli hat-trick at Fratton Park.

Now, League One side Wigan stand between the north Londoners and further progress as Arsenal aim to reach the final for the first time since their 2020 triumph over Chelsea.

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Another hectic week awaits Mikel Arteta’s squad following this fixture. A midweek Premier League encounter against struggling Wolves comes on Wednesday evening, before the north London derby at Tottenham next weekend.

Here, Football London rounds up the latest news coming from the Emirates Stadium.

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Pep Guardiola issues warning

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has indirectly warned Arteta against becoming complacent during the Premier League title race. Despite this, the City boss acknowledges he would rather be in Arsenal’s current position.

Guardiola said: “I would prefer to be in the position Arsenal are in than our position.

“If I would be in the position with four points in front of second, with 12 games left, I would not be relaxed. Imagine being four points behind, I am less relaxed. I would still prefer to be in the position Arsenal are in than we are.”

City have been steadily reducing Arsenal’s lead in recent weeks, with the gap now just four points following Arsenal’s draw with Brentford and City’s midweek win over Fulham.

Guardiola’s team will welcome Newcastle to the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League, by which time the Gunners could have extended their lead to seven points as they take on Wolves on Wednesday.

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Concerns raised over Lewis-Skelly

Nigel Winterburn is a man who knows a thing or two about what it takes to succeed for Arsenal. And he believes Myles Lewis-Skelly will get more opportunities under Arteta as the fixture list piles up.

The ex-Arsenal defender spoke highly of the 19-year-old to Gambling.com but admitted he does have concerns. He said: “Myles is a fabulous young footballer. He had a great break out season last year and did a terrific job for the team. He is super confident and you must remember, he is still very young.

“Mikel obviously wanted to add squad depth in that position with Kiwior departing and with Hincapie and also Calafiori, who has had some injuries, Myles has dropped down a little, but with so many games coming up, Myles can do a job in centre of midfield, which was his preferred position as a youngster.”

Regarding Lewis-Skelly’s ambitions for the England squad, Winterburn added: “So, with such a busy schedule I suspect Myles will get a lot more game time as Mikel rotates as Arsenal push on all fronts. As for England, I hope this doesn’t distract from the chances of going to the World Cup.”