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Arsenal goalkeeper Karl Hein has joined Championship side Reading on loan for the rest of the season.
The 19-year-old has yet to make his full debut for the Gunners, although he was on the bench for the second leg of the Carabao Cup against Liverpool last week. Despite that, he has 12 senior international caps for his country, Estonia.
He signed a new long-term contract at the Emirates last summer.
His move to Berkshire will see him provide back-up for Reading’s number one Luke Southwood following their decision recently to terminate the contract of Rafael Cabral.
Hein is following in the footsteps of another former Arsenal goalkeeper, Emi Martinez, who made 18 appearances for Reading in the 2019 season, a spell that helped develop him into a first-choice Premier League goalkeeper.
The Gunners are hoping that a similar experience will help the Estonian compete for a first-team squad place next season.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.