Arsenal s long-term contract locks in the core of the future, with the Youth Index second only to the little tiger Walcott

On June 26, Arsenal Club officially announced that the team's rising star Miles Lewis Skelly has signed a new long-term contract with the club. The 18-year-old newcomer in England made a remarkable breakthrough in the just-passed 2024-25 season. Skelly made his first-team debut against Manchester City last September and has since become an important member of the team. Throughout the season, he has made a total of 39 appearances in various competitions, including 26 starts, with remarkable performances.

With his outstanding form and versatile attributes, Skelly won the first call-up for the English adult national team in March this year. He thus became the second youngest Arsenal player in history to represent the Three Lions after Theo Walcott. What's even more amazing is that in his England debut against Albania, he scored at 18 years and 176 days, surpassing Marcus Rashford (18 years and 209 days, against Australia in May 2016) and became the youngest adult team in England's history to score the goal in its debut.

Skelly played a key role in Arsenal's journey to the Champions League last season. He was only 18 years and 194 days in the Champions League quarter-finals, becoming the second youngest English player in the history of the event to play at this stage, second only to Jude Bellingham (17 years and 281 days) in 2021. Subsequently, at the age of 18 and 223, Skelly started again in both rounds of the Champions League semi-finals. This achievement put him in the fifth place in history of the youngest player to start both rounds in the Champions League semi-finals, and is also the youngest English player to achieve this, and the youngest to represent the English club. After the renewal of the contract, Skelly expressed his excitement through Arsenal's official website: "I feel extremely proud and happy. I know these words are simple, but I think they summarize my feelings about signing with the club. I am a fan, it's like a dream come true." Looking to the future, he showed maturity beyond age: "I have many years ahead, so it's most important to me to stay humble and be a good person. I have learned a lot of experience from the game, whether it's positive moments or mistakes I've made. I'm sure I'm more prepared for the next season now. I just want to keep learning and keep improving." "I want to stay legendary. I want to win all the championships in this sport and win trophies on the biggest stage. At the same time, it's very important to be a person who keeps learning and keeps grounded." The future of this Arsenal youth training treasure is worth looking forward to.