Jack Porter has made history by becoming the second youngest player in Arsenal’s history after being named in the starting lineup for Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup match against Bolton Wanderers.
At just 16 years and 72 days old, Porter, who celebrated his birthday in July, is now second on the all-time list, following Ethan Nwaneri, who debuted in 2022 at 15 years and 181 days. This milestone has pushed Cesc Fabregas, who first played for Arsenal at 16 years and 177 days in 2003, to third place.
Previously, the youngest goalkeeper for Arsenal had been Malcolm Webster, who made his debut at 18 years and 308 days in 1969. Porter has surpassed that record by over two years.
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The 16-year-old has gained some first-team training experience over the past couple of seasons and was on the bench for the recent Champions League draw against Atalanta. However, his debut was primarily due to unforeseen circumstances.
First-choice goalkeeper David Raya suffered a thigh injury during the weekend’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City. Former backup Aaron Ramsdale was sold to Southampton during the summer, and veteran Brazilian goalkeeper Neto, who replaced him, is cup-tied for this competition.
Arsenal’s third-choice goalkeeper this season is the slightly older Tommy Setford, 18, who was signed from Ajax but has also been sidelined with an injury, preventing him from making his Gunners debut.
Porter wasn’t the only teenager on Mikel Arteta’s lineup against Bolton; Nwaneri started on the right flank, and 17-year-old midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly also earned a spot in the starting XI.
Arteta used this opportunity to give senior player Raheem Sterling his first start in an Arsenal shirt, having previously made only substitute appearances since joining from Chelsea in the summer. While Bukayo Saka captained the side against City, the armband was passed to Jorginho for this match.