Karl Hein says clubs were interested in taking him on loan in January but Arsenal asked him to continue at the club as backup to David Raya and Aaron Ramsdale.
The Estonia international, 21, gained valuable first team experience when he joined Reading last January but has mostly a watching brief since returning to Emirates Stadium in the summer.
One of only two under-21 players in Mikel Arteta’s squad, Hein has seen action in Premier League 2 and also featured once in the EFL Trophy.
“There was some interest [in January], but the club didn’t let me this time,” Hein told Delfi Sport.
“I need playing time as a young goalkeeper, but right now I need to help Arsenal and that’s my responsibility and I’m happy to do it.”
Despite a lack of minutes in North London, Hein is still in favour at international level and will line up in goal against Jakub Kiwior’s Poland tomorrow in a Euro 2024 play-off*.
“My fitness is fine and the form is good,” he added. “I am very excited about the upcoming camp. When it was confirmed that we would get such a game, it arrived immediately. It’s a big game and a big opportunity.”
Talking of opportunities, Hein will no doubt be wondering if any lie ahead at Arsenal. It’s almost certain Aaron Ramsdale will leave the club when the transfer window opens in July which would give the youngster a chance to temporarily step up the pecking order.
In all likelihood, Arteta will recruit more senior back-up for David Raya which might lead to Hein leaving the club. He’s currently under contract until 2025.
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*We spent quite some time trying to figure out how they are involved in a play-off given they finished bottom of their Euro qualifying group with one point from eight games. It turns out it’s a reward for beating Malta and San Marino in a three-team fourth-tier Nations League group. Some vintage madcap Uefa nonsense right there.
I hope there is a way to loan Hein out at a top level next season and then bring him in as #2 the following year. Big fan of this kid, got skills at shot stopping and really tidy with the ball too. Undoubtedly, he needs a chance to prove himself at top level – particularly to see how he would fare in a ball playing team. A loan (and hopefully first choice) at a team like Brentford would be fantastic.
First choice at a PL club seems optimistic, given he played for Reading last year while they were relegated to league 1.
Obviously, Ramsdale will go this summer, so a new number 2 should be signed. That will leave the way open for this kid to go out on loan.
Hein is in no-man’s-land at the moment and desperately needs quality game time somewhere.
Maybe some day he’ll do a Saliba and come back as a top player.
But Edu and Arteta gave a contract to Okonkwo and bigged him up two or three years ago and after that he had a howler in a Carabao game, I think. Has been good on loan so who will be No. 3 fighting for No. 2?
I think Arthur Okonkwo is out of contract in the summer.
Apart from the end of their career, I’m not sure when a player doesn’t need playing time. It must be very frustrating sitting around and not progressing for a year at a time.
It tends to be the case of biding your time for young goalkeepers. They often don’t get their chance till their mid twenties. Martinez being an example where a big breakthrough comes later on in their career.
Martinez had lots of loans and, though some were okay, apparently never showed enough for Arsenal or anyone else to think he could be a first-choice keeper in the Premier League. With hindsight, I wonder if some of that lack of interest involved his being a prick, rather than his actual playing ability.
Sell Ramsdale and make Hein no 2 – give him a cup run or two to build his confidence.
I don’t wanna see ramsdale go tbh, would love for him to learn a bit from Raya and usurpe him in a year or two – wishful thinking I know
Too risky. A loan to prove he can handle the big time first. Our whole season could unravel with Ramsdale gone, if Raya gets injured and the kid cannot handle the pressure having never played at this level before.
What we definitely can’t afford to do is let Ramsdale go on the cheap and end up paying essentially the same amount for a backup keeper. While I’m confident we might have ended up with the best of the bunch in Raya, no one can deny we’ve made a bit of a mess of the goalkeeping position when you reflect on the amount we received relative to the ability of Szczesny, Martinez and Leno. I think we turned a small profit on Turner, but in hindsight were a bit lucky to do so.
I think he has to be included as one of the 25 man squad next season and as Arsenal will almost certainly bring in an experienced No.2 there might not be room for him? So I guess a year out on loan to see how he does in senior football?