We are very pleased to confirm that Arsenal goalkeeper Karl Hein has joined Reading on a loan deal which will keep him at the Select Car Leasing Stadium for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.
The 6’4” Estonian, who came to the country to join the Gunners’ Academy back in 2018, completed his medical at Bearwood Park this morning and will now push to provide competition for places between the sticks for our important 19-game stretch through to the end of the Championship season.
Reading first-team manager Veljko Paunovic said, “Karl is an international goalkeeper with good temperament, obvious ability and the hunger to improve and impress. He is a welcome addition to our squad and will increase the strength of our team for our remaining fixtures this season.”
The 19-year-old began his playing career in his home nation – he had already made five senior appearances in the Estonian third tier for Nomme United before Arsenal moved to bring him into their Academy setup, a month after his 16th birthday.
A year later, Hein was handed his first professional contract with the Gunners, and last season he was named in Arsenal senior squads on six occasions during a UEFA Europa League campaign that took him to all corners of the continent and which culminated at the semi-final stage.
During the Gunners’ pre-season schedule ahead of the start of the 2021-22 campaign, he made his non-competitive debut for the North London club by featuring in the second half of a friendly fixture against Scottish side Hibernian. And as recently as last week, he deputised for Aaron Ramsdale as a substitute for Mikel Arteta in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool.
On the international stage, Hein has already made a dozen appearances for his native Estonia at first-team level. Capped 19 times at youth level, he was drafted in for his maiden senior appearance in a UEFA Nations League meeting with Georgia in Tallinn in September 2020.
He has since played on a further 11 occasions for his nation – including starting in a win against Latvia to win the Baltic Cup last June and keeping a clean sheet in a World Cup qualifying fixture against a Wales side which included Gareth Bale and former Royal Chris Gunter in its starting XI.
Now, Karl is a Royal for the remainder of the campaign.
Chief Executive Dayong Pang added, “We are delighted to be able to bring Karl to Reading. At the age of 19 he is an exciting prospect, but most importantly he has already shown himself to be a very capable goalkeeper at full international level and he will add quality to our squad in this crucial period.”
