Opinion: Why Reading FC may be best served steering clear from Arsenal man | OneFootball

Championship side Reading have launched an attempt to take Arsenal goalkeeper Karl Hein to the Select Car Leasing Stadium until the end of the season, as per a report from The Sun.

Manager Veljko Paunovic is currently on the prowl for another shot-stopper following the departure of Rafael Cabral earlier this month, with the Brazilian terminating his contract at the club to link up with Cruzeiro back in his home nation.

The Berkshire outfit are looking to cut costs following the six-point deduction they received back in November after their breach of the EFL’s profit and sustainability rules – and as a potential high earner – the departure of Rafael may have provided the Royals with a chance to bring in a couple of additions before the end of the window.

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Paunovic has admitted that he wants a replacement for his recently-departed keeper though – and you can see his thinking with the club now lacking a bit of experience in this position.

Southwood may be 24, but this is his first season as the second-tier outfit’s number one and deputies Jokull Andresson and James Holden, both of whom were recalled from their respective loan spells at Morecambe and Maidenhead United recently, are yet to make their first-team debuts for Reading.

With this, another goalkeeper is on the agenda and they have recently been linked with Arsenal’s Hein, who is currently 19 and made a single senior appearance in England since his move from Nomme United back in 2018.

They have now enquired about a potential loan move, something that could suit both parties with the Royals limited in what they can do this window and needing to ensure that they can meet the financial restrictions they face next season as part of a business plan they agreed with the EFL last year.

However, the Royals may be forced to play the Estonian ahead of current first shot-stopper Luke Southwood if they want to secure his temporary signature according to the same Sun report.

Clauses in a potential agreement could mean Paunovic’s men will have to pay a certain fee if he ends up falling behind Southwood in the pecking order once more – and there are no guarantees that Hein will be a success – so this is a huge risk.

Outsiders would argue that it would be worth paying the fee, but with the Royals currently in a precarious situation with financial restrictions, they will be doing everything they can to minimise their expenditure.

At the same time though, they cannot be in a situation where they are playing Hein solely because of the fact they would have to pay more if he wasn’t playing.

Many Royals fans rate Andresson highly after seeing him thrive in different loan spells, potentially proving to be a good squad option after making the jump up to League One this term, but Reading are in desperate need of a reliable goalkeeper considering the fight against relegation they face and this is why they need to go for experience over youth.

Southwood has made a couple of errors recently, so someone like Frank Fielding may prove to be a better option with the experience he has in this league and there would be no shortage of motivation for the 33-year-old to do well after being left out in the cold at Millwall and Stoke City in recent years.

His contract at the latter comes to an end very shortly and Sheffield United seem to be targeting Adam Davies instead of Fielding, so this is a deal that could be done by the Berkshire club as they look to recruit the expertise needed to survive whilst keeping costs down.

It may also allow the likes of Andresson, Holden and/or Coniah Boyce-Clarke to go back out on loan – and more senior experience for one or two of the trio can only be beneficial to their respective careers.