SAM WALKER says it was “a very easy decision” to complete a free transfer to Reading.
The 26-year-old goalkeeper became Paul Clement’s sixth signing of the summer, arriving from League Two Colchester United after opting to run down his contract and has signed a three-year deal with the Royals.
The 6ft 6in former Chelsea youngster arrives in Berkshire with over 250 Football League appearances to his name to provide competition to first choice Vito Mannone.
“I made the conscious decision to turn down the contract at Colchester and I wanted to go and challenge myself, ideally at a higher level,” said Walker.
“It’s worked out really well for me to come to a club such as this, a massive club with a lot of history and big ambitions and I’m really pleased to be here.
“It feels like a while ago now but Paul Clement was my youth team coach for a period of time and then reserve team coach at Chelsea.
“It was a long time ago but we’ve had a few conversations over the phone and I’m really looking forward to catching up and working with him again.”
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Having started out at Chelsea, Walker divided his time between Leagues One and Two during loan spells at Barnet, Northampton Town, Yeovil Town and Bristol Rovers. He never made a first team appearance for the Blues before eventually completing a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge to go to Colchester in January 2014.
Aside from a year out injured in 2015/16, Walker played almost every league match for Colchester in the last four years and featured against Reading in a 1-0 League Cup defeat in 2015.
“The club very much speaks for itself with the facilities they’ve got at the stadium and down at the training ground,” said Walker.
“With the ambitions of the club as well, it’s a big club with big ambitions to get back to challenging towards the top end of the Championship and, ultimately, the Premier League.
“It was a very easy decision for me to come down here and join Reading.
“I’m very much looking forward to getting in and getting down to business, meeting Vito and the other goalkeepers, learning what I can from them and having my input as well.”
He added: “I feel like a bit of an old man with the amount of games that I’ve played in the Football League.
“In terms of age, at 26 I still have a lot ahead of me and a lot I want to achieve. This is why I wanted to come and test myself at the higher level and see where it takes me.
“It’s going to be a different situation for me, I’m used to playing week in week out. Every week that I’ve been fit, I’ve played a lot of games at Colchester so it’s going to be a different situation for me, one that I’m looking forward to, actually.”
