Everton are pushing left-back reinforcement to the very top of their summer transfer priorities, and 19-year-old Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly has emerged as one of the leading names on their shortlist. That is according to Mick Brown, the former Manchester United chief scout, who delivered the update in conversation with Football Insider. Brown was direct about Everton’s intent, explaining that the Toffees will pursue any legitimate opportunity to bring in an England international for a position where their current options remain painfully thin.
Everton Target Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly As Left-Back Search Intensifies
Several other Premier League clubs are tracking Lewis-Skelly simultaneously, though Everton’s need feels particularly urgent given the way David Moyes has been forced into stop-gap solutions at left-back throughout this campaign. Brown also flagged that Arsenal’s stepped-up transfer activity this summer makes Lewis-Skelly a realistic departure, with the teenager struggling to hold down regular minutes at the Emirates.
The scout was candid about the uncertainty surrounding his situation, noting that Lewis-Skelly arrived in the Arsenal first team to considerable excitement in 2024/25; racking up 39 appearances, scoring a memorable goal in the 5-1 thrashing of Manchester City, and earning his first England senior cap, yet has since seen his role shrink considerably without any public explanation from Mikel Arteta.
“It’s a strange one with Lewis-Skelly. He came into the Arsenal team with such a high profile; everybody was talking about him, and he got into the England team and was held in very high regard. But for some reason, that’s all stopped this season, and he’s almost disappeared. Whether that’s because Arteta feels he has better options now or whether there’s something we don’t know about behind the scenes, it’s not clear,” Brown told Football Insider. ”
“One thing is for sure, though, a lot of clubs will be interested in him, and they’ll be trying to find out what the reasons are that he hasn’t been playing. Everton, for example, is looking for a new left-back as a priority, and if the opportunity comes up to sign an England international, they will go for it. They’ll be doing their due diligence, as I said, working out if there are any deeper issues as to why he’s not playing, but if he can’t get into the side, then he’ll have to look elsewhere. Everton would be a good destination for him, I think, and for them it would mean they finally get a player in a position where they’re very light,” he added.
Could Lewis-Skelly Be The Left-Back Answer Moyes Has Been Waiting For At Goodison?
The numbers from Lewis-Skelly’s 2025/26 campaign are worth examining closely. He has accumulated just 312 Premier League minutes this season, averaging a modest 6.41 rating on FotMob, with his last recorded league appearance coming against Liverpool in January. At a club competing for the title and deep in Europe, competition for places is fierce, and the arrival of Piero Hincapié at Arsenal has almost certainly pushed him further down the depth chart.
His strengths are clear to anyone who has watched him regularly: exceptional pace, intelligent pressing, comfort in possession, and a natural left foot that suits the modern overlapping full-back role, but his disciplinary record (three yellow cards already this season following two reds last campaign) hints at a player still learning emotional control at the highest level. For Everton, the situation is clear enough. Moyes has been awkwardly deploying Jarrad Branthwaite at left-back despite Branthwaite himself publicly preferring centre-back, a compromise that is not a sustainable arrangement for either player long-term.
Lewis-Skelly, still only 19 and under contract at Arsenal until 2030, would command a significant fee; Transfermarkt values him at €40 million, which makes this far from straightforward financially for a club still navigating financial constraints. However, the football case stacks up, and a loan with an option to buy feels like the most probable route if serious talks develop.
Moyes has a consistent history of getting the best from young English talent with raw potential and a point to prove, which matches exactly where Lewis-Skelly finds himself right now. Everton will make their move when the window opens, and Lewis-Skelly looks set to leave Arsenal this summer, one way or another.
