Arsenal might have to start 16yo in League Cup amid injury crisis | OneFootball

Arsenal might have a bit of a crisis in goal against Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday, with David Raya a doubt for the match.

BERGAMO, ITALY: David Raya of Arsenal FC in action during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD1 match between Atalanta BC and Arsenal FC at Stadio di Bergamo on September 19, 2024. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Isaan Khan reports for the Daily Mail that David Raya has a knock after Arsenal’s draw with Manchester City on Sunday, and though it’s not believed to be serious, he’s likely to be rested against Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday.

Mikel Arteta confirmed that Raya is among the doubts for the Bolton game, and he might not be an option to start it.

“Let’s see how they are today and we will try to make a call on that if it’s a possibility,” Arteta confirmed.

LONDON, ENGLAND: David Raya of Arsenal embraces his teammate Tommy Setford prior to the pre-season friendly match between Arsenal and Olympique Lyonnais at Emirates Stadium on August 11, 2024. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Raya is expected to be back for Saturday’s game against Leicester, but in the meantime, Arsenal don’t have many alternatives to play the Bolton game.

Summer loan signing Neto is the obvious answer, but he’s cup-tied, having already played for Bournemouth in the League Cup.

18-year-old Tommy Setford might have hoped for a game after his own summer move from Ajax, having made the bench against Brighton in August. But Setford has been out injured for the last couple of weeks.

Similarly, Lucas Nygaard has only just returned to training after a broken thumb, and he might not be ready to start against Bolton either.

Rather incredibly, Arsenal might be without their foremost four options in goal. Academy goalkeeper Khari Ranson is also an unlikely starter, as he played 90 minutes against Stoke City for the Arsenal u21s on Monday.

Arsenal’s Jack Porter ahead of their match against Atalanta (Photo via Porter on Instagram)

So let’s take a look at who is available. Perhaps the most likely pick of the youth bunch is Jack Porter, a 16-year-old with only a handful of appearances for the Arsenal u18s and u21s.

An England u17 international following his debut this month, Porter has been with the senior squad for the last week, making the bench against Atalanta and travelling as the emergency goalkeeper for Spurs and Manchester City.

In between those matches, Porter has been involved in first-team training. It seems likely that he’s at least part of the group for the Bolton game, whether he starts or not.

DUISBURG, GERMANY: Jack Porter of England runs with the ball during the U 17 Four Nations Tournament match between Germany U17 and England U17 at Sport School Wedau on September 10, 2024. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images for DFB)

18-year-old Alexei Rojas has a little more experience for club and country in the older age groups, but he’s yet to play a game for the Arsenal academy this season.

That’s partly because Rojas has also been training with the first team, but it still makes it difficult to throw him into a first-team fixture. At least Porter has four games under his belt over the last month and a half.

Then there’s Brian Okonkwo, younger brother of former Gunner Arthur. Brian was on the bench for the u21s on Monday, but he could still conceivably play for the first team on Wednesday.

You also wouldn’t rule out a late return for Setford or Nygaard. If there’s any chance they can be fit for this one, you’d imagine they’d want to take it.

For the time being, Porter appears to be the most likely alternative to Raya, and it would be quite the experience for the teenager.