Arsenal dealt major injury blow as Mikel Arteta forced to make shock Carabao Cup call

Mikel Arteta has been dealt a major injury blow ahead of Arsenal's clash against Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup third round. football.london understands that David Raya is currently nursing a thigh issue, ruling him out of action for the tie.

In his absence, Arteta has been forced to start Jack Porter between the sticks at the Emirates Stadium. football.london understands that Tommy Setford, who Arsenal signed from Ajax in the summer, is also nursing an hip injury.

Neto, who the north Londoners signed on loan from Bournemouth on deadline day, is also unavailable for the tie due to competition rules. Before swapping the Vitality Stadium for the Emirates Stadium, the 35-year-old had already featured three times for Bournemouth this season; twice in the Premier League and once in the Carabao Cup second round.

He captained the Cherries in a 1-0 defeat to West Ham at the London Stadium. While Andoni Iraola's side have been knocked out, the Brazilian is ineligible to feature for Arsenal in the tournament. In the Carabao Cup Rules Handbook, Rule 6.4 states: "No registered player shall play for more than one club in the competition in any one season."

Speaking to reporters ahead of the match, Arteta was asked how he plans to approach the Carabao Cup this season. The Gunners boss said: "For sure we want to win the game tomorrow. We have to start with the first game and understand who the best team is to beat Bolton."

Then, when asked how many youngsters will be given the chance to impress, he replied: "It’s a great opportunity for any player to show what they are doing in the games if they didn’t get the chance to play yet. To transform what they’ve been doing in training and give us the right reason on the pitch."

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Towards the end of the press conference, Arteta was asked whether Arsenal need to win a trophy this season to be considered successful. The Spaniard said: "In terms of trophies, success only comes when you win.

"How you measure success and what you associate with that word, we can probably have a deeper conversation. But we are here to win both the big competitions and the ones that aren’t considered as big."