Hope Akpan has become the second midfielder of the day to depart Madejski Stadium, signing for Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers on a permanent basis.
Akpan, 23, has fallen down the pecking order for a central midfield berth and was left out of the side at the weekend in favour of youngster Aaron Tshibola and he has now departed to join Rovers on a two-year deal.
Following his arrival from Crawley Town in January 2013, Akpan went on to make 63 appearances for the Royals, scoring one goal which came in the 7-1 win over Bolton Wanderers last year.
As well as being a regular in Reading’s squad for the past two and a half seasons, Akpan has also gone on to win four caps for Nigeria, making him the second full international to leave the club today following Jake Taylor’s loan switch to Motherwell.
Manager Steve Clarke said: “Last season was a frustrating one for Hope Akpan due to injury and lack of game-time.
“It is an area of the pitch where we are well covered and it would be wrong to deny Hope the chance to play matches and start to move his career forward again.
“He was always a good person in my squad with the correct attitude towards training and I wish him well for the future.”
