Former Tottenham striker Darren Bent insists that Arsenal full-back Myles Lewis-Skelly looks “vulnerable” defensively ahead of the Gunners’ League Cup clash against Chelsea.
Arsenal are having a brilliant season in the Premier League with Mikel Arteta’s men currently top of the table and six points ahead nearest rivals Manchester City.
The Gunners are 14 points in front of fourth-placed Liverpool, who won the Premier League last season, after strengthening their squad over the summer.
Arsenal brought in eight new signings in the summer transfer window with players like Lewis-Skelly getting knocked down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium.
Lewis-Skelly has only started one Premier League match this season but injuries in recent weeks mean he has a chance of starting more in the coming matches.
The 19-year-old started Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Portsmouth in the FA Cup over the weekend and he’s likely to play from the start again as the Gunners take on Chelsea in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final.
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But former Premier League striker Bent has warned Arteta that the Arsenal youngster has “looked a bit vulnerable at times” ahead of their clash with Chelsea.
Bent said on talkSPORT: “He’s had a bit more of a difficult time this season. What he did last season, everyone was like, ‘Wow!’
“What he’s had to deal with in terms of coming back, Calafiori has been outstanding this season which is why he hasn’t got many minutes.
“I think he’s going to play in this game [against Chelsea], potentially, but defensively, certainly against Portsmouth as well, he’s looked a bit vulnerable at times.”
There are calls for summer signing Viktor Gyokeres to be dropped for Kai Havertz, who returned from injury to play just over 20 minutes against Portsmouth, and Bent insists the Swede is “nowhere to be seen” at the moment.
Bent said of Gyokeres: “I want it to work for him, I’m a big fan of his, but at the minute, for whatever reason, it’s just not clicking.
“From Gyokeres’ perspective, limited touches, no efforts on goal, ball going across the six-yard box and he’s nowhere to be seen.”
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Looking further ahead to Saturday’s match against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, Bent continued: “I look at this Arsenal team now and there was a time, certainly when Dyche was at Everton, I’d be a bit like, ‘Have we got the characters and leaders to step up to that?’
“I look at this Arsenal squad now and I feel there are quite a few players that are good in size, good in stature, are prepared to do the physical, hard yards.
“I don’t think the physicality worries me as much as it once did.”
On how impressed he was with Havertz on his return over the weekend, Arsenal boss Arteta told a pre-match press conference on Tuesday: “Obviously we missed him a lot. A year is a long time in football but as you said, the way he’s come back, he looks really fit, really confident.
“He’s such an intelligent player that straight away he is someone who connects with the players really naturally, and you can tell how much they love him as well, because every time he was in and around the box, everyone was jumping on their seats on the bench. So yeah, we are so happy to have him, he’s going to help us so much, and now we have to keep him fit.”
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