“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.