Merson doubts Arteta’s choice to start Guimaraes over Lewis‑Skelly

Paul Merson believes Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made a mistake by starting Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes instead of Myles Lewis‑Skelly in the Gunners’ 3-0 defeat to Brighton on 21 September 2026, a result he detailed in his column.

Merson’s column questions the selection

‘I’d like to ask Mikel Arteta what his thinking was behind playing Bruno Guimaraes over Myles Lewis‑Skelly,’ Merson wrote, adding that he wondered whether Arteta expected Brighton to be tired after coming from 2-0 down against Manchester United on Wednesday.

The former forward argued that the plan simply didn’t work: Arsenal were outrun, overpowered in midfield and ultimately ripped to shreds.

Guimaraes’ recent performances

Merson praised Guimaraes as a good footballer, noting that in a low‑block system his qualities are valuable, but when a team aims to dominate the ball there is “no‑one like him when you have time”.

He recalled Guimaraes’ impressive substitute appearance against Aston Villa a few weeks earlier, where the Brazilian kept the ball, executed one‑twos and played at his preferred tempo.

Merson stressed he was not blaming Guimaraes for the loss, but could not understand why Arteta altered the team in such a difficult game.

The Gunners, defending champions, were soundly beaten 3-0 on the south coast, a result that left Arsenal second in the table after Manchester City beat Sunderland on Sunday to clinch the top spot with a three‑point margin.

“I just wonder if Arteta was sitting on the coach on the way back thinking ‘I’ve got that one wrong’,” Merson concluded, highlighting the pressure on the manager after the setback.