Arsenal summer signing ineligible for Saturday’s Bournemouth clash | OneFootball

Arsenal summer signing Neto will be ineligible again this weekend against Bournemouth, meaning another youth goalkeeper will be required to make the step up.

Neto signs for Arsenal (Photo via Arsenal.com)

Arsenal loan signing Neto hasn’t yet made an appearance for the Gunners, and that won’t change this weekend.

For the second time already this season, Neto is ineligible for Arsenal’s game, given it’s against his parent club Bournemouth.

Neto was also previously ruled out of Arsenal’s game against Bolton Wanderers. He’s cup-tied in the League Cup, after playing for Bournemouth against West Ham United.

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND: Neto of Bournemouth rolls out the ball during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and AFC Bournemouth at City Ground on August 17, 2024. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Neto will be able to return to the Arsenal squad against Shakhtar Donetsk next Tuesday, and David Raya was always likely to start against Bournemouth anyway. But the question now is about which youth goalkeeper will make the bench this weekend.

When Neto was last unavailable against Bolton, young Jack Porter stepped up to make his first start for the Gunners, but the circumstances around that call were unique.

Though Arsenal had signed two 18-year-old goalkeepers in Tommy Setford and Lucas Nygaard this summer, both of them happened to pick up injuries at the same time as Raya. With Neto ineligible, Porter was seemingly fifth in line.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Jack Porter of Arsenal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Arsenal and Bolton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on September 25, 2024. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

As it stands, there still haven’t been any sightings of Setford in training, suggesting he’s still injured and unavailable.

But Nygaard is a different story, as he recovered from his broken thumb to play against the PSG u19s and the Spurs u21s at the start of this month.

It’s still possible Porter will make the bench against Bournemouth. Despite being the younger goalkeeper, he now has first-team experience that Nygaard lacks.

Perhaps both will be involved in the trip, as Arsenal usually bring three goalkeepers to away games even if only two can be named in the squad.

When Setford returns, he’ll surely play the third-choice goalkeeper role. But while he’s out, the call is up to Mikel Arteta.