What Arsenal’s goalkeeping coach privately told Mikel Arteta about Jack Porter before Bolton clash

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Jack Porter has been the talk of the town since he made his senior Arsenal debut against Bolton Wanderers in the EFL Cup.

The Gunners have had terrible luck with injuries so far this season. Mikel Arteta has had to contend with one issue or another since the start of the campaign.

Ahead of the game against Bolton, the Arsenal boss had a big goalkeeping conundrum. David Raya and Tommy Setford were both injured, while summer signing Neto was cup-tied.

That opened the door for Porter to make his debut, and Arteta put his faith in the 16-year-old.

Arsenal’s goalkeeping coach recommended Jack Porter to Mikel Arteta

Arsenal fans were all pleasantly surprised when news came out that Porter was going to start against Bolton in the EFL Cup.

It’s very rare to see a 16-year-old like Porter get his chance at Arsenal – goalkeepers usually don’t get senior opportunities until they’re much older.

However, Arteta had little choice because of Raya, Neto and Setford’s unavailability, and the Spaniard had a decision to make.

Alexei Rojas Fedorushchenko seemed like an obvious choice because he has been at Arsenal for longer and has more experience at youth level.

However, Arteta picked young Porter ahead of the Colombian, and that was following a recommendation from Arsenal’s goalkeeping coach, Inaki Cana.

The Daily Mail claim that David Seaman had mentioned Porter’s name behind the scenes, but it was Cana who went to Arteta and vouched for the teenager, telling him that he was ready for the challenge.

Arteta agreed and Porter became the youngest goalkeeper in Arsenal’s history against Bolton on Wednesday night.

Jack Porter has one Arsenal player to thank for helping him

It’s hard to imagine how nervous Porter must have been before he stepped onto the pitch against Bolton.

Being a 16-year-old goalkeeper making his debut for Arsenal is unheard of, and the nerves would’ve definitely been there ahead of the game.

However, Jorginho was spotted constantly talking Porter on the pitch, helping him stay calm and directing his goal kicks.

That definitely benefitted the teenager, who came out of the game with a fine performance. He should be really pleased with what he did.

It will be interesting to see how Porter will develop in the coming months and years. If he puts his head down and continues to work hard, he will become a star one day.