Reading keen to strike Arsenal transfer agreement with Gunners demanding key clause | OneFootball

Championship strugglers Reading are eyeing up a loan move for Arsenal youngster Karl Hein, according to The Sun.

But the Gunners would only allow the teenager to depart the Emirates Stadium this month for the Royals if he were to displace Luke Southwood as the club’s number-one goalkeeper.

Southwood has been the first-choice at the Select Car Leasing Stadium under Veljko Paunovic since September, displacing the now-departed Brazilian Rafael Cabral.

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Mistakes have crept into the 24-year-old’s game though and now Hein has been lined-up as potential competition for Southwood.

Hein, a 12-cap Estonia international at just 19 years of age, has featured six times in the under-23 Premier League for the Gunners this season but is yet to make his senior debut for the club since his arrival in 2019.

Now he could be set to head to Berkshire for the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign but it would only be on the basis of receiving guaranteed first-team football ahead of Paunovic’s current selection in Southwood.

The Verdict

There have been some clear mistakes made by Southwood in recent weeks and perhaps that is why Paunovic is seemingly looking to bolster his goalkeeping ranks.

Healthy competition is never a bad thing and with Rafael heading back to Brazil it means a stopper is needed more than ever.

But if Arsenal are demanding that Hein plays every game then that takes away the competitive element – clubs should be free to choose who they want without having to face repercussions but that is how most loans work nowadays with Premier League clubs.

Hein is clearly a talented young player though as Estonia’s regular first-choice goalkeeper already so he may be worth taking the chance on with the potential to have him for a full campaign next season.