“Be patient, his time will come” – Alex Iwobi tells Arsenal teenager’s mom against loan

By: Monsurah Olatunji

Nigeria international Alex Iwobi has shared the advice he gave to Marcia Lewis, the mother of Arsenal’s promising young talent, Myles Lewis-Skelly, when they met earlier this season.

Iwobi, who has long been an inspiration to young players coming through Arsenal’s academy, noted the impressive rise of teenagers like Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, both of whom have made strides into the first team.

The Super Eagles star, who made a similar journey himself, left Arsenal in 2019 after progressing through their ranks at Colney to become a regular Premier League player.

Lewis-Skelly, who has recently impressed on both his Champions League and Premier League debuts, has been generating significant buzz, and Iwobi was keen to offer his insight when he met his mother.

“I met his mum three months ago in Dagenham, and she was like, ‘I want my son to do well,’ and I just gave some advice,” Iwobi explained to the Standard.

“I just said to his mum, be patient because his time will come. Make sure he’s ready because if he’s constantly training with the first team like how I was, that will make him a better player.”

Iwobi went on to highlight the value of learning from top-tier professionals at Arsenal rather than rushing into a loan move. “A lot of players like to go on loan and play men’s football early, which I understand,” he said.

“But when you’re training with some of the best players in the world at Arsenal, you naturally get ready by seeing how they work every day. For the youngsters there, that’s the best education to grow as a player.”

Iwobi’s advice emphasizes the importance of patience and the unique learning opportunity that training with Arsenal’s first team provides.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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