What Qualities Do Reading Need In The Summer 2025 Transfer Window?
Away from specific players and positions, what traits should the Royals be looking for in new recruits?
Dear reader, ‘tis that time again. Last year I attempted a list of players in different positions that we could consider recruiting. Time has not reflected kindly on that list *nudges articles under the carpet with foot* so we won’t discuss how misinformed I was or how optimistic I was either. We signed almost no-one, and we did OK.
However, now we can sign actual football players! What a time to be alive. We’ve even brought in two permanent transfers already, and it’s only the middle of July! And three loan deals! Swoon!
Instead of looking at specific players, this year I will learn from my mistakes by making a whole bunch of new mistakes in describing what I think we need to be looking at recruiting in relation to the squad overall - in terms of specific attributes.
Feel free to bookmark this one and revisit it in May 2026 to give yourself a good chuckle. Otherwise, misinformed nonsense abound!
Left-footers
What do Jeriel Dorsett, Charlie Savage and Andre Garcia have in common? Oh, you read the section title. Fine.
Well, the point is`; we’re short on left-footed players. Now, we have addressed this by bringing in Matty Jacob on loan, as well as tying down John Clarke and John Ryan on new deals now they aren’t busy being injured. However, we could do with at least one winger and centre-back who is left-footed. Or, at least, attacking players who are left-footed.
Why is this important? Savage’s dad recently(ish) spoke to the podcast on this topic and summed it up perfectly: it creates balance within the team and opens up more space on the pitch.
As well as this, we are crying out for a true Femi Azeez replacement on the right wing. Cutting in on your left foot opens up more of the goal for shooting or crossing opportunities.
I am led to believe that shooting more can lead to more goals - and goals are good! When Reading score them, at least. Not so much when we’re getting our yearly 5-2 loss to Bolton Wanderers handed to us.
Height
When we finished the 2024/25 season, our tallest outfield player was Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan. At the time of writing it is not clear if he will stay, but the fact that he is both an attacker and about as useful in the air as a paper aeroplane is not great.
We lost the 6’3” (190cm) Tyler Bindon and the 5’11” (180cm) Amadou Mbengue centre-back pairing. Andy Yiadom and Andre Garcia are both 5’11”. Jeriel Dorsett and Michael Stickland - while not small - are 6’1” (185cm). Further forward, excluding Ehibhatiomhan, only Lewis Wing breaks past 6ft (6’1”) and Savage is bang on 6ft (183cm). We’re not a tall side.
Why does this matter? (It feels like this question will come up quite often.) Well, we’re in a physical league and winning your duels can make the difference. Having a bit of height can help edge the battle in this respect, and while giving better chances to quell the opposition, could lead to being more threatening further forward too.
Now, it feels like the club have identified this too. Paudie O’Connor is 6’3” (191cm) and Finley Burns is a massive 6’5” (196cm). That’ll help, as will O’Connor’s reputation for set-piece end product.
A little bit more height down the middle (Mark O’Mahony is a modest 5’9” - 175cm) to replace Sam Smith’s 6’1” stature, and we could be onto something. However, it’s worth mentioning that, at 5’10”ish (177cm), Jayden Wareham was excellent in the air.
Goals
I’m sure I’ve said this in previous articles but, in case you’ve forgotten/repressed the memory/had the common sense to avoid reading anything I’ve written, these are the numbers from the front three last season:
What does that tell us? Our forwards don’t score enough goals. We can’t continue to rely on our midfield to produce the goals - though, lads, feel free to keep banging them in.
It would be too simple to say we just need wingers and strikers, but the reality is that we need wingers and strikers who know where the old onion bag is and how to put the ball into the back of it. Especially though, Noel Hunt’s style of play (which could be altered for the season ahead) doesn’t provide a huge amount of clear opportunities. Yep, I’m talking about xG.
In short: wingers who can score and provide and a 20-goal-a-season front man should be on the wish list.
Experience
This falls into two categories: general playing experience and experience at League One level.
In fairness, it seems this is something that Brian Carey’s dreamworks factory of recruitment (essentially pulling white rabbits out of hats) has recognised. Our two permanent signings so far this summer are 27 and 28, are approaching their primes and also have played at this level for the majority of their careers.
The loans signings, however, are all young players who want to make a mark on the game to give themselves an opportunity to climb the ladder. Fair enough. However, they all have experience at EFL level, whether for their parent club or on loan.
It’s smart from Reading: better the devil you know, right? Players who have kicked a ball at this level know what’s coming. And while we have a young team, they’ve almost all played at this level because a thin squad depth level has required it. The exceptions being The Johns™ and that’s likely only due to injury.
I’d like to see us bring in a couple of other signings like O’Connor: proven at this level, late 20s but with plenty still left on the clock and a ceiling of potential to elevate us and them to a higher level.
Therein lies leadership as well: something regularly said of O’Connor. People who will support their younger teammates and share the leadership with the likes of Yiadom and Wing - though we’ve seen the likes of Harvey Knibbs and Joel Pereira take on this mantle too.
However, the value of this experience could help bring out the best in us, to close the gap from seventh last season to - hopefully - higher come the end of 2025/26.