TTE Roundtable: How Will Reading’s 2025/26 League One Season Play Out?
Some TTE writers sat down to preview the Royals' upcoming campaign.
A new season is almost upon us and who knows how it'll turn out for Reading Football Club? Well, some of these guys hopefully!
We've brought together some of TTE's finest minds and asked them the biggest questions about how the Royals' 2025/26 season will play out. They are: Harry Chafer (HC), Alex Lovell (AL), Marc Mayo (MM), Simeon Pickup (SP), Neill Rees (NR, aka Bobbins) and Ross Webber (RW).
For what it’s worth, all of these answers were written before Reading made the marquee signing of Paddy Lane on Thursday night. So, without further ado...
What’s your biggest source of optimism about this season?
HC: Slightly different to optimism, granted, but the thing I’m most looking forward to is being able to focus on normal football things rather than the existence of our club.
I am optimistic that we now have decent people at the top of the club who, I believe, have good intentions and are creating an environment where the good people we already had at the club - ie Noel Hunt and Brian Carey - can really thrive.
AL: I think we’re all going to say this but… the takeover’s done now. ‘Snice. At the very least, we have an engaged owner and, while Rome wasn’t built in a day, we have a solid foundation from which to build upon.
MM: Reading FC will exist in 12 months’ time. It should also exist in two years’ time. I’m not being greedy but it looks pretty odds-on that we’ll have a football club in five years’ time!
No points deductions, no administration, no embargoes or EFL sign-offs on transfers. Luxurious.
SP: Reading will actually be able to properly plan in the long term now. No more 'getting to the end of the month' or 'getting to the end of the season', the Royals are now a stable, normal club that can look to the future. That mindset will be important if this club is to grow in the long run.
NR: My source of optimism is that we don’t have the over-arching sense of doom that we had for the last few seasons. Nothing can be that bad again, but we’re not fixed as a club, not even close. We need to be mindful of that.
RW: I think the Portsmouth performance was an aberration, and the defence will be pretty strong. The squad provides Hunt with a set of options for how he wants to set up a back four or back three. There’s a good mix of League One experience and high-level modern-trained players that allow for a range of buildup options.
Paudie O’Connor is a really good signing who will go a long way to replacing the huge number of minutes we’re losing. Liam Fraser is also a sneaky good signing who could allow Hunt to move Lewis Wing higher up the field to take more shots.
I don’t think Reading will lose a lot of games, and the season performance will come down to how many they’ll actually win.
What’s your biggest worry?
HC: This time last year we had a settled, and very good, starting XI and a clear way of playing. Now we don’t have that - or at least we don’t know if we do. The lack of goals, and amount of goals conceded, in the last couple of friendlies just amplifies that really. There’s an unknown element about the team now that makes me a little bit angsty.
But I’ll take that over worrying about the future of our club every day of the week.
AL: Goals. Where are the goals going to come from? Sam Smith (prospective top scorer for the previous season) went in January, Jayden Wareham went early in the summer and - at the time of writing - Harvey Knibbs (actual top scorer from last season) is just about to leave.
We are sorely lacking in attacking depth, even more so than we already were at the end of last season, going by the lack of players and goals from the pre-season friendlies.
MM: I don’t think Hunt will get ‘found out’ but I love the bloke as a manager and as a player, and I desperately want him to succeed.
With a month to go until the window shuts, he doesn’t have a squad to compete for promotion. My worry is fans turning on him if we don’t start well. I’d really hate to see it.
SP: That new signings take too long to arrive and Reading have already had a poor start to the season by the time they settle. Such a poor start could set a negative tone for the season which we struggle to bounce back from.
NR: Relegation? Not that we’ll be that bad, but I guess that’s a natural fear for any season.
RW: Hunt won’t be able to fix the attack and we won’t be able to string results together while relying on our star performers pulling something out of the bag when going forwards..
A proven or exciting forward signing in August could change this (Reading are still yet to find a proven replacement for Sam Smith), but currently the attacking patterns of play aren’t there to allow for consistently good performances in the opponent’s half.
What do you make of the job the owners are doing at the moment?
HC: They’ve made some pretty ‘out there’ statements and strong promises, but I think those have been more ill-advised than ill-intentioned. And we’ve still heard more from them in the last three months than we did from Dai Yongge in eight years.
Incomings have been slow, and if we’re still in this kind of state in terms of squad depth come the end of August then my views my change, but it’s clear to me that they’re making positive alterations.
AL: The early indications are all positive. Signings being brought in are smart, address what we need as a team, fit the profile of player that we’re looking for and don’t break the bank.
Season-ticket price freezes, supporter engagement, new club officials adding value, Bearwood day, more communications and Purple Turtle Q&As are all good things. Reinvesting the (likely arrival of) Knibbs’ transfer money wisely would pretty much tick all the boxes for sustainable development.
MM: Couhig’s media strategy isn’t great. I like the optimism and the boisterousness of how he speaks - I just think he speaks too often. Too many interviews with random outlets, too much overpromising. Truly from famine to feast, in that regard.
Otherwise, it’s been very good. The off-pitch vibes/strategy/setup has been much, much better than the previous regime.
SP: I'm really encouraged by the focus on a lot of the 'smaller' things - improving the matchday experience and the media output for example. While I get fans' frustrations on comms which later seem overdone, I much prefer this to what we had under Dai. The transfers can't be fully, fairly judged until the end of the window.
NR: I think they will have uncovered more messes than they bargained for in the few months that they have owned the club. There’s no magic wand to wave and, voila, we’re a properly functioning club again. Recovery will not be immediate; it’ll take a lot of time. Patience is required.
RW: I like that there’s been a clear attempt to correct some of the primary flaws of the previous Dai Yongge era by communicating more with the fans.
There are clearly added resources for the media team that have made for a return of fun content and more interest around the club. Hopefully more areas in which resources have been added will become obvious throughout the season.
When you start your ownership period during a transfer window, you’re always going to be judged on your signings, and while there’s no big money signing yet, I’m pretty happy overall with how Reading have spent their money.
I think it’s difficult to make big-name transfers that make fans excited at his level, and so few teams in the division have made a signing for any big outlay. Birmingham City and Wrexham’s spending last year was not realistic.
The bones that were already good have been sustained, and mostly I’m happy with the way Redwood are allowing Joe Jacobson and Hunt to rebuild the team on and off the field.
Who will be the Royals’ top individual performer this season?
HC: I’m fighting the urge to be boring and say Lewis Wing. I’m going to say Charlie Savage.
Savage’s spot in the starting XI is pretty much nailed on. We saw how much he thrived under Hunt at the back end of last season, and I think if he gets that trust and consistency of minutes over the course of a whole season, he’ll become a really important player for us.
AL: It’s difficult to answer as I feel we will still be active throughout August, in terms of recruiting personnel.
However, based on the current playing personnel… it’s hard to look past Joel Pereira but I will say Paudie O’Connor looks like a very Noel Hunt-style of player. His leadership skills will be valuable but his contribution to both ends of the pitch will be valuable this season, I believe.
MM: I don’t know yet because we haven’t signed whoever that player will be.
SP: Pereira seems the safest bet, given how consistently excellent he's been. It'd be great for an outfielder to challenge him though, so I'll put O'Connor as an honourable second.
NR: Can’t really say anyone beyond Lewis Wing with the squad as it is today. Most things that we do well involve Wing and I can’t see that changing.
RW: Andre Garcia, but in a new position. Garcia had his first breakout season last year, but I think there’s further for his talent to go. Reading’s squad looks a little imbalanced at the moment, but the relative strength in defence should allow the ‘Garcia at right-wing’ experiment from preseason to continue a little while into the season.
The Royals are going to need players who can complete a take-on this season to score goals. Garcia drew two defenders at times against Tottenham Hotspur, and can be a real handful running into the box. If he gets a run of starts at the spot he could end up with a hatful of assists.
Which young player will break through?
HC: It feels like he’s been around for a long time so it feels strange saying this, but I think this season will be a big one for Kelvin Abrefa. With the departure of Michael Craig and Andy Yiadom seemingly having eternal injury issues, Abrefa should nail down that right-back spot.
We’ve seen glimpses of his quality, both defensively and going forward, but this season will be the one when he truly matures into a top-class right-back at this level.
AL: I think Andre Garcia’s (re)invention into a right-winger will be a highlight for us this coming season. But, since he’s not a regular… Ashqar Ahmed could be primed to break through because there’s no way that both Andy Yiadom and Abrefa will stay fit all season, and likely will be out at the same time.
John Ryan could be handy if Matty Jacob is unavailable and Basil Tuma’s rampant pace will be a useful weapon from the bench against tired defences.
MM: Given our lack of forwards, Emmanuel Osho could get a rapid elevation and make his mark.
SP: Garcia will have a strong season out wide, helped by not being overly relied upon in an unfamiliar position.
NR: I’m hoping for good things from Daniel Kyerewaa. He might surprise us.
RW: Ashqar Ahmed looks the most ready to go both positionally and physically of the academy graduates. Michael Stickland deserves a mention as well, as an injury to a centre-back could bring him a long stretch in the team.
Give us one outlandish prediction for this season
HC: Paudie O’Connor to be the top-scoring defender across all four leagues. His big head and Wing’s quality of delivery is a recipe for all sorts of loveliness.
AL: Outlandish, you say? OK, I hope I’m wrong about this but I have a niggling feeling that Hunt may not see the season through to the end.
It depends how the rest of the summer window plays out but, if we don’t bring in another five or six players and results don’t go our way, the new owners may be inclined to take action. Again, I really hope I’m wrong.
MM: Reading will replicate the ill-fated Tommy Burns deadline day spree with seven signings as the window shuts.
SP: Reading will score six goals in at least one league game. If you'd like another, Mark O'Mahony will net a hat-trick at least once.
NR: I will be going to more away games. There you have it, a world first!
RW: Reading win the EFL Trophy. The squad is larger and Reading will likely have a lot of borderline first-team players in the forwards department trying to make a name for themselves to get a run in the League One side.
That energy should take us through the group stage with relative ease again, and if likely heightened expectations this season aren’t met in the league, progress in the cup could be a way for Hunt to keep the fanbase happy.
Who’s getting promoted and relegated?
HC: Stockport County, Luton Town and Huddersfield Town to go up and Wimbledon, Northampton Town, Burton Albion and Bradford to go down.
AL: Promoted - Huddersfield, Plymouth Argyle and Leyton Orient. Relegated - Wimbledon, Burton, Mansfield Town and Cardiff City. Cardiff probably won’t but they are in a bit of a state right now, and this could be an ominous season for them.
MM: Promoted - Luton, Blackpool, Barnsley. Relegated - AFC Wimbledon, Exeter City, Port Vale and Mansfield.
SP: Huddersfield, Plymouth and Luton will go up, while Mansfield, Port Vale, Exeter and Wimbledon will go down.
NR: Teams that are not Reading! But in reality, Luton, Huddersfield (if their new signings gel) and Stockport will be up there, for sure. Relegation - really tough to predict, but I’ll go with Doncaster Rovers, Mansfield, Wimbledon and Northampton.
RW: Promoted - Blackpool, Reading, Leyton Orient. Relegated - Port Vale, Burton, Bradford, Wimbledon.
How will Reading’s season play out and where will we finish?
HC: It’s a hard question to answer right now as the squad is nowhere near complete. I think it’ll be a difficult start but we’ll make some important signings and see an upturn in results off the back of that.
I desperately want us to be in another playoff fight, but a top-half finish is more realistic. A busy and successful end to the transfer window though and a fight for a top-six spot is more than doable.
AL: A slow start to the season while we wait for more movement in the transfer window will set the tone. I think maybe a ninth-place finish, based on the current squad, is where we will land.
It may feel like a backwards step but I think stability is the name of the game right now, and promotion could do more bad than good, in the longer term. Though, personally (selfishly), I’d take that risk to see the players and coaches get some rightful reward for their work.
MM: The fate of Reading’s season will be decided in the final fortnight of the transfer window.
Results will be average-to-poor out the gate and we need an entire new first-choice attacking trio, plus another forward-thinking central midfielder. If we sign them and keep hold of the one or two still eyeing an exit, we’ll be in the play-off mix. Failure to do that and losing another body or two will mean mid-table.
SP: I went for a fourth-placed finish in my answers for Four Four Two's season preview (admittedly probably a bit over-optimistic but I did submit them a couple of months ago, in my defence). I'll stick with that as my prediction for the sake of consistency/commitment though. Reading will start off fairly slowly, gradually pick up before Christmas and go on a charge in the new year to reach fourth.
NR: As a gut feel, I think this will be a struggle of a season. It’ll be hard to hit the ground running with the first-team squad as it is now. Our start is particularly tough, too.
We lost just 13 games last season, which was incredible considering everything. I feel we’ll fall short of that this time around. With that in mind, I think we’ll be in solid mid-table - 12th.
RW: Reading are going to be a very solid team that struggles to put games away and thus drop points this season.
Eventually Hunt will be forced into moving Wing further forwards, whether in the 4-3-3 or a new formation, and if that change comes early enough I can see Reading’s season really taking off after a middling start in the late summer.
Reading won’t be consistent enough to win the division, but with the quality that’s already in the team and no obvious standout elsewhere in the division, second place is attainable even if Knibbs leaves.