Declan Rice isn’t the only West Ham United fan who plays for Arsenal right now.
The Englishman spent several years as a Hammer after joining their academy from Chelsea. He developed brilliantly there and eventually secured a record move to Arsenal in the summer of 2023.
Rice has been a magnificent player for Arsenal over the last year, and we are convinced he will be even better in the coming months.
The midfielder still has a lot of love for his old club. Now, he has another former West Ham fan in the building at the Sobha Realty Training Centre.
Jack Porter says he used to be a West Ham fan before Arsenal signed him
Jack Porter became a household name after he made his debut for Arsenal in the EFL Cup against Bolton.
David Raya had picked up a knock in that game and Neto was cup-tied. Third-choice keeper Tommy Setford had suffered an injury too
That forced Mikel Arteta to give a senior debut to young Porter, which was a big surprise to everyone.
To make your senior debut at the age of 16 as Arsenal’s goalkeeper is a truly remarkable achievement and is one Porter probably never dreamt of a few years ago.
That’s because he used to play for Gidea Park Rangers and was actually a big West Ham United fan.
Speaking about how his Arsenal move came about, Porter told the club’s official website: “I grew up as a West Ham fan, so players like Mark Noble and Dimitri Payet were big inspirations for me.
“I started out as an outfield player, mainly playing in midfield, but around the age of 12, I decided to switch to playing in goal due to growing pains.
“After playing just nine games as a goalkeeper I was picked up by Arsenal for a trial but then, just as it was about to start, Covid hit. Once the restrictions were lifted, I signed with the club six weeks later.
“It was all a bit of a surprise, to be honest. As I said, I’d only played nine games as a goalkeeper for Gidea Park Rangers when Arsenal showed interest. But I believed in my ability and knew I could play at that level. Signing with Arsenal felt surreal.
“One moment I was playing Sunday League football, and the next, I was in the Academy at Hale End playing alongside talented players on top-level pitches.”
READ MORE: Hilarious Jack Porter fact after Arsenal debut will humiliate Tottenham Hotspur
Porter has already broken two records at Arsenal
Porter is a huge talent and has an excellent future ahead of him.
The 16-year-old has already played for Arsenal’s first-team and he’s often spotted training with the senior squad as well.
When he made his debut against Bolton in the EFL Cup, Porter broke a 55-year Arsenal record to become the youngest goalkeeper to make his debut for the club.
Before that happened, when he was named on the Arsenal bench for the game against Atalanta, Porter became the youngest-ever goalkeeper to be in a Champions League matchday squad in the history of the competition.
Those are two big records Porter has to his name and should be really proud of. We are excited to see what he will be able to do in the coming years.
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