Arsenal goalkeeper Ovie Ejeheri is joining Finnish side SJK on a six-month loan deal.
The 19-year-old, who spent the first half of the season on loan to National League South team Chelmsford City, will follow Arthur Okonkwo in landing a new club this month on a temporary basis.
Arsenal are keen for their younger keepers to go outside their comfort zone and gain European experience to boost their exposure and value.
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Neither Ejeheri nor Okonkwo, who this week moved to Austria’s Sturm Graz after cutting short a spell at Crewe, were going to be playing top-flight football in England and so their loan moves were seen as ideal opportunities to test themselves at a high level.
Although Ejeheri is heading to a smaller country and lower standard than the Premier League, SJK are a major club in Finland — they also compete to qualify for the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League — and he will be working in an elite environment.
At Chelmsford, Ejeheri kept 11 clean sheets and conceded only 17 goals in 23 appearances.
Uganda, England and Nigeria are all keeping tabs on Ejeheri to potentially represent them at international level, with Nigeria currently the leading contender.
Uganda were keen on calling up Ejeheri for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers last June and their interest remains.
England watched him train at Arsenal and are monitoring the situation, while Nigeria want Ejeheri for their age-group teams and he is already in head coach Jose Peseiro’s thinking for senior inclusion.
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(Photo: Getty Images)
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