Welcome to The Radar, a Sky Sports column where Nick Wright uses a mix of data and opinion to shed light on need-to-know stories from across the Premier League. This week:
🔴The birth of a new star at Arsenal?🔥 Savinho taking over from De Bruyne at Man City?🔍 A player to keep an eye on this weekend
Brilliant breakthrough from Lewis-Skelly
The tension was high at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday in the closing stages of Arsenal's victory over Tottenham, but Myles Lewis-Skelly was not feeling it. Even after the fight that preceded his withdrawal, and with minutes to play, the coolest player on the field could be seen leaving the field laughing.
It was quite a spectacle. As Arsenal prepared to defend a Spurs corner, Lewis-Skelly, their youngest player to start a Premier League derby in north London since Cesc Fabregas in 2005, threw his arms out to the crowd and relished the occasion.
Maybe he knew it was over. After all, he is constructed differently. “It's like it was built in a laboratory,” Declan Rice said recently. It might be the best explanation for why this academy left-back midfielder can look so serenely at ease so early in his senior career.
Just a month ago he had started just one first-team match, a Carabao Cup win over Bolton Wanderers in October. Now he appears to be the best option for Arsenal in a position where they are overloaded with experienced alternatives. A call-up for England certainly beckons.
His performance against Spurs, watched by Thomas Tuchel, was just the latest in which he showed excellent technical skill and composure. It is remarkable that he has the highest passing accuracy in the Premier League this season with 96.1 percent.
That list is dominated by central defenders, who are usually given more time to choose their passes. Lewis-Skelly, on the other hand, often operates in midfield, where he is chased and harassed by opponents. They quickly find out that you pressure him at your peril.
He doesn't just play it simple either. With only his second touch against Spurs you could see him drive towards the penalty area and Raheem Sterling slide through on goal. He excels at threading balls through the lines and relishes the chance to get involved in attacks.
What is most impressive, however, is that the team shows defensive qualities. On Wednesday night, Lewis-Skelly took on Dejan Kulusevski in the first half and Brennan Johnson in the second, but he didn't dribble past once. In fact, according to Opta he has yet to dribble past in the Premier League this season.
His strength in duels is striking. In terms of passing accuracy, Lewis-Skelly is among the top Premier League players for match success this season with 72.2 percent, putting him ahead of some leading names such as Ibrahima Konate, Ezri Konsa, Virgil van Dyke and John Stones.
The meeting with Spurs was not the first in which he showed that he can handle himself physically. Last month's win over Ipswich featured a string of players, including Liam Delap and Kalvin Phillips, trying to wake him up without success. “Never afraid of nobody,” he shrugged in a television interview with Ian Wright.
Of course it's still early. Lewis-Skelly has played just 332 minutes in the Premier League. But from the moment he joined the team, it was clear he was ready to take things a step further. And it is now clear, a month later, with Arsenal's title hopes revived, that he will stay.
Savinho becomes Haaland's main supplier
Manchester City are making big strides to revamp their attack. Erling Haaland's extraordinary nine-and-a-half-year contract is followed by the arrival of Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt. Savinho can also play a big role.
Pep Guardiola's excitement for the Brazil international has been evident since his very first appearance in the Community Shield win over Manchester United in August. “I think if he plays on the left he will help Erling score goals,” Guardiola told reporters afterwards.
His prediction about helping Haaland has proven accurate. Savinho has overtaken Kevin De Bruyne as his main replacement this season, scoring four goals for him in the Premier League. It is the second highest total between two players in the division.
But it was only recently, after spending most of the season playing on the right, that Savinho's assists started to flow from the left. Three of them came from that side in the wins over Leicester and West Ham. From the same position, he also played a key role in both of Phil Foden's goals in the draw against Brentford.
Guardiola raved about Savinho's ability to “attack the byline” as an “old-fashioned winger” when he played on the left in August. It's surprising that it took him this long to use it there consistently. But Savinho has offered creativity from both sides.
While his total tally of five assists may seem modest, the underlying data highlights the quality of the chances he creates. His average of 0.37 expected assists in open play per 90 minutes is the highest of any Premier League player this season, including De Bruyne.
These numbers reflect the statistical probability of chances leading to goals. Since actual assists depend on the finishing of other players, it's worth paying attention to when it comes to measuring the true quality of a player's creative performance.
They tell us unequivocally that Savinho is already doing his bit. Manchester City will hope that their relationship with the newly signed Haaland continues to bear fruit in the coming years.
Player radar: who else should you keep an eye on?
Chelsea's signing of Pedro Neto was rated as one of the standout deals of the summer, but six months later the winger faces former club Wolves on Monday Night Football having scored just one goal and provided two assists in the Premier League . Could he boost his career at Stamford Bridge against his old side?
Live radar: what's on Sky this weekend?
Arsenal host Aston Villa for the Saturday Night Football match, with coverage from 5pm before the 5.30pm kick-off on the Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event.
On Super Sunday, Everton and Tottenham will face off in the early match, starting at 2pm, while Ipswich will take on Manchester City in the later kick-off at 4.30pm. Coverage of that double-header starts at 1pm on the Sky Sports Premier League and the Main Event.
On Monday Night Football, join David Jones and Jamie Carragher as Chelsea host Vitor Pereira's Wolves, kicking off at 8pm.
Read the latest Radar column
The Radar had a week off for the FA Cup third round, but before that the focus on the Manchester United vs. Liverpool clash proved prophetic as Lisandro Martinez and Manuel Ugarte played a key role in securing a point for Ruben's side Amorim.
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