So, here it is then – the summer has finally arrived.
You can guarantee several Championship teams are already planning the business they want to do in the transfer window, as they look to take themselves to the next level.
For some clubs, they want to establish themselves as a Championship outfit after recently being promoted from the third tier. For others, they have aspirations of reaching the Premier League.
But at Reading, the story is very different for one simple reason: finances. In normal times, EFL profit and sustainability rules allow clubs to lose £39m in a three-year period.
The Royals have lost over £90m in their last three accounts and even without the costs of Covid, we would be well over the limit. In normal times, we would be in trouble but with the pandemic, where does that leave the football club?
Well, it looks like we will be restricted in what we spend at the very least – we would even be lucky to get away with just that.
And at a time when the Royals need to rebuild after a turbulent couple of years under Ron Gourlay, that’s a bit of a blow. Because of this, I can feel a sense of nervousness in the Reading fanbase as we head into the final few months as we look to make additions to a Reading squad that desperately needs reinforcements in certain positions.
However, there is something else the Royals need to focus on – and that’s getting players signed down to new deals.
Last week, it was announced that Luke Southwood had signed a new deal to keep him at the Madejski Stadium until 2023. If FFP/the EFL allows it, we must focus on our current players before going into the transfer market.
Michael Morrison is someone we need to keep at the club, alongside academy graduate Tom McIntyre. Their contracts run out this summer and without all three extending their stay in Berkshire, the fanbase’s mood will only worsen from our current state of nervousness and hesitance.
Let’s look ahead to the summer of 2022 though. When Tim Dellor asked me if I was worried about potential departures in the summer, I immediately turned my attention to the next.
We know the consequences of not handing out/not being able to hand out new contracts, just look at the situation with Omar Richards.
If we were going into a season with one senior left back, it would make sense to put our full faith in them and give them a deal – but we didn’t do that with the 23-year-old.
The longer we leave it to tie players down, the harder it will get to get them signed. Look at the number of players that are currently set to depart in 2022: Andy Yiadom, Tom Holmes, Michael Olise, Andy Rinomhota, John Swift and Josh Laurent and others.
If we are to secure the long-term future of the club, we need a summer of new deals galore. Mr Dai, Dayong Pang, Bryan Stabler, Michael Gilkes and Veljko Paunović, get it done.
By Adam Jones
