Arsenal sent several players on loan in the summer, and a number of them are thriving away from the Emirates Stadium.
Alex Iwobi recently praised winger Reiss Nelson, who is impressing at Fulham alongside Emile Smith Rowe.
Nuno Tavares is also thriving in Italy with Lazio, after failing to make the grade at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta.
Some players have left to gain vital experience, with goalkeeper Karl Hein heading to Real Valladolid in La Liga, and his decision has paid off, with the 22-year-old developing superbly.
Arsenal loanee Karl Hein performs superbly against Nicolas Pepe’s Villarreal
Real Valladolid are struggling in La Liga as they are 18th in the table, but Hein has been one of their best players, and he showed this in their home defeat to Villarreal.
Hein lined up against former Arsenal record-signing Nicolas Pepe, who also performed well, as Villarreal dominated proceedings.
However, the visitors struggled to score past Hein in the Valladolid goal, who made some incredible saves. Pepe fired in two fierce shots, but the Arsenal loanee thwarted his old teammate on both occasions.
Villarreal eventually won 2-1, but Hein was so impressive that he still earned the La Liga ‘MVP’ award, beating the impressive Pepe to it. Villarreal’s official X account even went out of their way to praise the former Hale End goalkeeper, labelling his performance as “inspired.”
Beyond his saves, Hein was also impressive with his feet, and showed that he has the qualities to eventually succeed under Arteta.
Karl Hein could earn himself Arsenal future with impressive loan displays
Hein’s performance against Villarreal was breathtaking. He made seven saves, and conceded twice from an xG faced value of 4.79.
The 22-year-old’s distribution was outstanding, as he completed 98% of his passes, misplacing just one of 38 attempts, and he picked out his teammates with long goal kicks, completed seven of his eight long-balls.
Arteta signed David Raya and sold Aaron Ramsdale with a clear preference for goalkeepers who are comfortable with the ball, and Hein has now shown that he is capable of playing with this style.
With Arsenal loan goalkeeper Neto’s future uncertain, there is every chance Hein could return to be Raya’s backup next season if he continues to impress.
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