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READING FC head of football operations Mark Bowen insisted that there is ‘no fire fire sale’ despite strong interest in several of the club’s players.
The Royals have already sold defender Tom Holmes to Premier League Luton Town, while a move for Nelson Abbey to join the Hatters broke down.
With the club in a difficult financial position and with club’s circling around their players, Bowen insisted that they are determined to keep the squad ‘as strong as possible.
“It’s difficult. You’ve got to make sure the message is out there that there is no fire sale..
“We’re not going to be ‘little old Reading’ who just rolls over and lets our players go.
“In the best possible way that I can do, that’s not going to happen and that’s hugely important.”
Bowen also highlighted that any money raised through player sales will be used to help the operating costs of the club.
Despite not yet having assurances that funds are in place to pay staff wages and HMRC bills, Bowen is hopeful that will be done.
He continued: “My understanding is that player sales were done to make sure the funding is in place this month.
“We’ve been living to the back end of every month. I’d like to think that things are in place to make sure that this month, things are in place.
“Am I confident (of keeping players)? I don’t know. The most important thing is keeping Reading Football Club as strong as it can possibly be. The football side of things.
“With that in mind, we’ll see what the rest of the window brings. I’ve got to try, in my power and Ruben’s, that the squad is as strong as it can possibly be by the time February 1 comes.”
