“Any Royal still awake?”
When Baba Rahman tweeted this wholesome four-word question for the first time after Reading beat Cardiff at the start of October, he probably wasn’t aware how much it would catch on.
It was 10:27pm, so it was a reasonable question to ask, but there was just something so heart-warming about it that made you fall in love with the left-back.
He tweeted the same question again at 11:28pm after beating Barnsley a fortnight later. When Reading’s official club account cottoned on and tweeted “Hey Baba Rahman, you still awake?” after Saturday’s win over Birmingham, a catchphrase had officially been cemented.
Rahman doesn’t need to endear himself to supporters in this way. He is on loan from Chelsea, has no personal ties to the club or the town and almost certainly won’t be here beyond the end of the season.
He could quite easily play his football in Berkshire for a year, exit onto the summer horizon and no one would bat an eyelid.
Being a loan player can put you in a slightly strange situation. You are still ‘owned’ by your parent club, who – like in Rahman’s case – may still be paying a large majority of your wages.
Quite often a loan move can be a step down in the football pyramid, either because you’re not getting much gametime at the higher level or you need experience to prepare you for that higher level.
You will generally spend just a season, or sometimes only six months, at your loan club, meaning you don’t really need to care about their long-term prospects or what the outcome of a season means for the club.
Loan moves can be seen by some players as mere stepping stones just to play a bit of football. We’ve seen that attitude in the past from players like Matej Vydra, Ola John and Jordon Mutch.
Someone like Rahman could easily take that viewpoint. He has dropped down to play second-tier football for the first time in seven years and clearly his long-term ambition is to make it at Chelsea. But his enthusiasm for Reading and willingness to engage with supporters is brilliant to see from a loan player.
I think back to loanee Alex Fernandez in 2015-16. The Spaniard barely played, but every week without fail there would be a social media post about his love for the club and the supporters.
He still tweets about his affection for Reading now.
Then there was the end of the 2018-19 campaign when Reading were fighting relegation. Some of the most emphatic celebrations and highest levels of passion after crucial results and when survival was secured came from loan players – Emi Martinez, Matt Miazga and Lewis Baker.
As fans, ultimately all we want is players to take pride in wearing our club’s shirt and show commitment and desire out on the pitch.
You expect that from those who are on multi-year permanent contracts. It’s a lovely surprise when it comes from a loan player.
By Olly Allen
