JACK Porter is likely to return to the bench for Arsenal’s Premier League game against Leicester – with No2 Neto in line for his debut to replace the injured David Raya.
The teenager became the youngest player to start a competitive game in the club’s history, when he appeared between the sticks at the Emirates in the 5-1 defeat of Bolton in the EFL Cup.
And now he appears destined for big things.
Who does he play like and what’s his style?
When Porter was a youngster, playing grassroots football, he played in midfield up until the age of 11, before converting to keeper.
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Therefore, he was already comfortable using his feet.
On the Arsenal website, Porter is described as a “confident goalkeeper on and off the pitch.”
They add: “In possession he’s very good at helping the team start the attack.
“Out of possession, he is agile and a good shot-stopper.”
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The England U17 international, who stands at around 6ft, hasn’t been compared to any goalkeeper in particular.
His talents at Hale End have been heralded by the club’s staff, with first-team goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana lauding his abilities to Mikel Arteta.
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Porter also has a huge supporter in Arsenal and England legend, David Seaman.
The legendary goalie is a regular visitor at the training ground and one visit was said to have mentioned Porter’s ability.
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After seeing the youngster’s debut, Seaman took to X to congratulate him.
He wrote: “So pleased to see this young man’s Arsenal debut go so well! #safehands Jack!”
Tell us about their rise
Porter played as a goalie for the first time for Essex side Gidea Park Rangers’ Under 12 team.
It was the same team Arsenal’s greatest ever captain, Tony Adams was plucked from before finding fame at Highbury.
Within four months, the Gunners invited him in for trials with their emerging talent group.
Four weeks later, he was offered a trial for the U12s.
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However, Covid meant he had to wait nine months until he was signed in late 2020.
By the age of 14, Porter was already training with Arsenal’s first team squad.
While at international level, he has been capped six times by England’s U16s and been a part of the U17s squad.
Only two months ago, Porter signed scholarship terms with Arsenal having turned 16 – with Jack Wilshere acting as one of his mentors.
He shared the moment on Instagram, captioning a photo alongside Arsenal Academy manager Per Mertesacker: “Dream come true, delighted to sign for this amazing football club with such great history, would like to thank everyone who’s supported me throughout the years.”
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He added: “Hard work carries on.”
What the experts say
With David Raya injured and Neto cup tied for the game against Bolton, Arsenal had very little option but to hand Porter his debut.
New signing Tommy Setford is also sidelined, which explained why Porter featured on the bench against Atalanta in the Champions League the previous week.
Colombian Alexei Rojas seemed like the most obvious choice, boasting more experience at youth level.
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But it was on the advice of goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana who told manager Arteta he felt Porter was ready for the occasion.
‘Arteta, himself, revealed: “Jack has been training with us since pre-season, we’re confident he can do the role obviously he plays in the international team, we’ve seen what he can do and we believe he was the right choice.”
After the match, the Spaniard revealed Porter’s parents weren’t prepared for the news he was set to make his debut in the Carabao Cup tie.
Arteta said: “Well, 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.
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“His teammates really helped him as well on that. What an experience and what a way to break a record.”
What could happen over the next 12 months?
In all honesty, Porter’s call-up was somewhat fortuitous given Arsenal’s goalkeeping crisis.
It’s unlikely he will be used as anything more than a substitute in the Premier League, or Champions League.
With the Gunners facing Preston North End in the next round of the EFL Cup, there’s every chance he could feature in that game.
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However, he has only played a handful of games for the U18s and just once for the U21s.
It’s still baby steps in his developments at youth level.
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But, he will always be able to say he broke a record as Arsenal’s youngest starter in a competitive game.
It didn’t take long for Viana to be back in football, this time as an international relations director after being appointed by Sporting, based like Belenenses in Lisbon, in 2018.
A few months later he was named sporting director and, despite requiring a bit of time to adjust, with four different coaches and failed signings like Yannick Bolasie and Jesse Rodriguez, he eventually found his feet.
“He has grown significantly because he found the right context to do that as a professional and simultaneously help improve the structure,” Leonel Pontes, who worked as Sporting coach in 2019 and is now a technical director at Shanghai Shenhua, said.
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“Between the seasons 2018-19 and 2019-20, the squad building was called into question, with unbalanced teams, which led to successive managerial changes.
“It doesn’t seem normal to me to have four different coaches in a single season, but in the end the decision to bring Amorim has proved very successful.”
It has been a turning point for Sporting in their recent history and also for Viana, of course.
Under Amorim, Sporting have won trophies again and finally found peace.
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It’s no surprise they have been producing so many players.
While the likes of Joao Palhinha, Matheus Nunes, Nuno Mendes, Porro and Ugarte have been sold for high sums, others like Goncalo Inacio, Ousmane Diomande, Morten Hjulmand, Geovany Quenda and Viktor Gyokeres have stepped up and filled their shoes.
That’s been the result of the Amorim-Viana partnership.
They are long-time friends, having played together for Portugal and also for Braga.
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But their bond grew especially strong when they were both approaching the end of their careers in the Middle East.
They would often meet in Dubai as Amorim was struggling to cope with injuries and had in Viana a shoulder to lean on.
“It’s great [to have one of my best friends working for me] but, at the same time, difficult,” Viana said.
“But we respect each other a lot, whatever we have to say, we say, whatever we have to discuss, we discuss. It’s been a nice challenge and positive for both of us.
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“What we are all living at Sporting I was never able to live as a footballer. We sometimes look around us and don’t see what we do as work but like a pleasant thing.”
With Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola out of contract this summer, and his future uncertain, many in Portugal will be keeping a close eye on the prospect of Amorim and Viana reuniting a lot sooner than expected.
A WELSH football team were shockingly attacked with baseball bats on their way home after a match.
Several players sustained injuries, with goalkeeper Josh Collins sustaining a broken knee.
The horror incident occurred at the Eastern Leisure Centre in Llanrumney on Saturday.
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Avenue Hotspur lost 3-1 to Llanrumney Athletic in Division One of the Cardiff & District Football League.
And as the Hotspur players left the venue, they were attacked by bat-wielding thugs.
Collins has sustained “life-changing” injuries and a vehicle was also damaged by a group of masked men.
The 32-year-old is said to be in “good spirits” despite the injury and he has undergone surgery.
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Cops have launched an investigation but no arrests have been made yet,
A statement from Avenue Hotspur said what happened was “distressing” and “frightening”.
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Brandon Royval just won an incredible five-round fight against Tatsuro Taira, handing the Japanese blue-chipper his first loss. Is that enough to vault him to another title fight and possibly a third matchup with Alexandre Pantoja, who defends his title at UFC 310 in December? Or does “Raw Dawg” need to prove his No. 1 contender credentials one more time?
On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discuss what’s next for Royval after coming out on top of one of the best fights of 2024. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for cult hero “The Iron Turtle” Jun Yong Park, welterweight winners Chidi Njokuani and Daniel Rodriguez, and intriguing lightweight contender and wife appreciator Grant Dawson. We also try to figure out what lies ahead for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s favorite fighter Themba Gorimbo after he recorded his fourth consecutive victory.
PFL will crown its first superfight champions on Saturday at PFL: Battle of the Giants, and the design for the new belts have arrived.
The upcoming event at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view and DAZN, featured a doubleheader of former UFC champ Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira and former UFC/Bellator champ Cris Cyborg clashing with two-time PFL season winner Larissa Pacheco.
The contests will crown the inaugural heavyweight and women’s featherweight superfight champions. Each belt will weigh 12.5 pounds, have a tribute to the PFL smart cage and celebrate each respective division in the series, according to the promo video released by PFL on Monday.
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Check out the video above to see a close-up look at the new belts above.
Thierry Neuville insists his first focus is on delivering a “consistent run” at this week’s Central European Rally as the Hyundai driver closes in on a maiden World Rally Championship crown.
Neuville heads into the WRC’s penultimate round, spread across the asphalt roads in the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany, with a 29-point lead over nearest rival and team-mate Ott Tanak.
The Belgian will secure a first WRC title if he can extend the margin beyond 30 points this weekend, with only one round of the season remaining in Japan next month.
The odds appear to be in Neuville’s favour who won the Central European Rally last year and will start this year’s edition with the advantage of opening the road as championship leader.
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Last weekend Neuville aided his preparations for the rally by participating in the Herbst Rallye in Austria, where his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 was one of the course cars.
While the prospect of a career-defining world title is edging closer, Neuville says his main focus is to ensure he performs consistently this week.
“Last year we had a great victory at the very first Central European Rally. We know we usually perform well on tarmac and winning in Germany was super cool for the whole team,” said Neuville.
Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photo by: Vincent Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport
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“Despite difficult conditions, we performed well But because of the stage changes we need to do some video work, so we will be studying those as much as possible to get a good feel of the new areas.
“The main goal is to manage our championship so we can take as many points as possible. Of course, we would like to get that title in our pocket, but our first focus will be having a consistent run.”
Neuville’s Hyundai team will however be eager to issue a response to Toyota’s Rally Chile performance that reduced the deficit in the manufacturers’ title race to 17 points.
“We need to maintain our lead in all three championships, and a clean performance at Central European Rally is essential in eventually bringing them home,” said Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul.
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“Thierry won here last year, and we know how strong he is on the tarmac, so anything is possible across the weekend. As well as the push for the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles, we also have the fight for the manufacturers’, and we have three strong crews fighting for that too.
“We want to leave CER having taken advantage of our road positions and made the most of the weekend – something we could not do in Chile.”
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