Tom Heaton recently recovered from a long-term knee injury and has returned to Aston Vila’s matchday squad, but he is playing second fiddle to Emiliano Martinez and may not be happy sitting on the bench in the twilight of his career.
The 34-year-old joined from Burnley in 2019 and was described ‘unflappable’ by his manager Dean Smith months into his Villa stint, but he is now forced to wait for his opportunity after being ousted as number one following his serious injury a year ago.
Kishan Vaghela of the Daily Mail suggested that Arsenal should try their hand at signing Heaton, but the England international would likely be on the periphery at the Emirates Stadium as well with Bernd Leno as emphatic first choice, so would he be keen on the move?
It has been 12 months since Heaton made a senior appearance for Villa and the wait for an opportunity is likely to continue as Martinez hasn’t put a foot wrong in his debut season at the club.
In recent weeks, there has been doubt placed on Heaton’s chances of getting competitive football for the remainder of the season to , but Dean Smith has said that his experienced goalkeeper will stay at Villa Park in January.
The Daily Mail shortlisted five other shot-stoppers for whom Arsenal could make a move this month, so Mikel Arteta might have to turn his attentions elsewhere if he is interested in reinforcing that position.
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Smith wants to keep Heaton at Villa, but if the goalkeeper isn’t happy sitting on the bench, could he not be loaned out in January?
Jed Steer is available, so he could be installed as second choice to Martinez. Regardless, it seems highly unlikely that Heaton will end up at Arsenal before the transfer window shuts.
