Attention Turns Back To Club Football

27 June 2014
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Interest in the World Cup seems to have dipped dramatically after the England squad's premature exit in Brazil. As a result, and it may not even be July yet, it's already time for attention to turn back to club football as the much slimmed down Reading FC squad return from summer holidays to start pre-season training next week.

After the big money exit of last season's top scorer Adam Le Fondre, Daniel Carrico was next out of the door this week as his permanent move to Seville was completed. Carrico failed to make any kind of impression at Reading, making just three appearances, before being ruled unfit to play. He was expected to make a big impact but then spent the entire of last season at Seville in Spain, and he is now officially no longer a Royal. Hopefully Reading made some kind of profit on the 600,000 pounds paid to Sporting Lisbon in January 2013.

Meanwhile the club remain quiet on the Samrit Bunditkitsada takeover as they wait for contracts to be completed and the football league to approve the deal. It's no longer any kind of secret after being widely reported over the past three weeks - along with photographic evidence of preliminary paperwork being signed and replica shirts being worn by Bunditkitsada and his friends. However after the Anton Zingarevich fiasco you can't blame John Madejksi for delaying an announcement on his final days as Reading Football Club owner. The official line remains that there are other parties still negotiating and the deal is not yet finalised.

Bunditkitsada's consortium is expected to pay off Reading FC's immediate debts and also pay up to twenty five million pounds to take control of the football club and it's associated assets including the hotel and training facilities. Once the take over begins to gain momentum it should, hopefully, allow the Royals to keep hold of the rest of the squad before it continues to disintegrate. It's too early to hope that Reading might be able to actually strengthen the squad before the new season starts. However, if the takeover drags on and Reading can't play a part in the summer transfer market then it could be a very difficult start to the season.

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