The Gunners thrashed League One side Bolton 5-1 to ease into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, where they will face Championship outfit Preston North End.
A positive 90 minutes of football for Arteta was soured at the end by news that Raya – who has been exceptional in recent weeks for Arsenal – is injured with 16-year-old Jack Porter becoming the Gunners’ youngest ever starter.
When asked if Raya is likely to face Leicester in the Premier League over the weekend, Arteta told reporters: “We don’t know yet. He’s got a muscular injury.”
While journalist Harry Symeou claimed on X that he has been told that Arsenal boss Arteta is ‘unsure if Raya, White & Timber will be fit for the weekend’ after Martin Odegaard was ruled out for a lengthy spell.
And Arteta, who could now hand Bournemouth loanee Neto a debut against Leicester, was full of praise for 16-year-old Porter after the match.
The Arsenal boss said: “Jack has been training with us since pre-season and we were confident that he could do the role.
“Obviously, he plays in the [England youth] national team. We’ve seen what he can do and we believe it was the right choice.
“We told him yesterday and he was over the moon straight away. I think he spoke to his family and they weren’t prepared for that. It’s a big step, it’s a big occasion for them and I think they were nervous about it.
“But I think he reacted really well, he was really composed yesterday in training and today as well. His teammates really helped him as well on that. What an experience.”
Highly-rated midfielder Ethan Nwaneri delivered on his first start for the Gunners after he struck in both halves against Bolton, with Declan Rice, Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz also on target.
Nwaneri was just 15 when Arteta made him the Premier League’s youngest player as a late substitute at Brentford two years ago. However, Wednesday’s fixture marked just his fourth senior appearance.
But when asked if Nwaneri, who came off the bench in Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Tottenham earlier this month, could be used more regularly in his side’s title bid, Arteta said: “Let’s go. It is another step. He is ahead of what anybody could expect.
“You can tell he is playing with a confidence and belief and an understanding of what he needs to do on the pitch.
“In his journey with the first team he is always ahead of what everybody expected and I expected, too. He deserves that and he is part of us so he will have the minutes.”
Football365
Question 1
Ben White cost £50m. Was the fee Arsenal paid for Thomas Partey higher or lower?
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