Arsenal confirm the loan exit of a 23-year-old fringe player to a Bundesliga club, and the Gunners could offload five more unwanted names before the September 1 transfer deadline.
Arsenal have confirmed the exit of goalkeeper Karl Hein to Werder Bremen on a season-long loan deal.
The Estonia international returned to the Emirates Stadium earlier this summer following a spell with Real Valladolid, with whom he finished bottom of the La Liga table in the 2024-25 season.
Hein shipped 68 goals in 31 games while keeping just five clean sheets during his time in Spain, and he was arguably Mikel Arteta‘s fourth-choice goalkeeper when he returned to North London.
David Raya remains the Spaniard’s undisputed number one, while the experienced Kepa Arrizabalaga is serving as his compatriot’s backup, and Arsenal also have the young Tommy Setford working in and around the senior team.
As a result, a loan or permanent exit for Hein was always expected to materialise in the current transfer window, and the 23-year-old will now spend the upcoming campaign in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen.
Arsenal confirm Hein exit amid permanent transfer uncertainty
“Karl Hein has joined Bundesliga side Werder Bremen on a season-long loan,” a statement from Arsenal read. “Everyone at Arsenal wishes Karl all the best for this season with Werder Bremen.”
Neither Arsenal nor Werder Bremen have announced whether the loan agreement includes an option or obligation to make the deal permanent next summer, although The Athletic reported that the Gunners would ‘push’ for the latter to be included.
The Gunners would have supposedly been looking to recoup between £3m and £5m for a permanent exit this summer, but Hein could now potentially leave on a free transfer next year, as he has entered the last 12 months of his Arsenal contract.
The Estonian joined the Hale End academy in 2018 and made his senior debut for the club four years later, starting in a 3-1 EFL Cup loss to Brighton & Hove Albion in the 2022-23 campaign.
However, Hein has not made another appearance for Arteta’s side since, although he has been an unused substitute in the Premier League and Champions League.
Arsenal loan out Hein: Who else could leave in summer transfer window?
Hein is the seventh senior player to leave the Emirates Stadium this season – and the first to be loaned out – following the exits of Nuno Tavares, Marquinhos, Thomas Partey, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jorginho and Kieran Tierney earlier in the summer transfer window.
Arsenal are coincidentally about to welcome their seventh signing to the club, as Eberechi Eze will soon join Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Cristhian Mosquera and Kepa in North London, after which the focus will shift to outgoings.
Fabio Vieira, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Reiss Nelson were all left out of the squad for last weekend’s 1-0 win over Manchester United, and every member of the quintet should either be sold or loaned out if the right offer comes along.
The only other players whose futures have been called into question are Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, but the former has now agreed a new deal, and the latter is looking increasingly likely to stay put for the 2025-26 campaign.
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