Akpan And Taylor Depart

11 August 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Hope Akpan and Jake Taylor have completed permanent and loan transfers away from Reading respectively. Midfielder Akpan joins Championship team Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer, where he has agreed a two year deal with the club. Meanwhile Jake Taylor has signed on loan, until the end of the season, for Scottish side Motherwell.

Both Akpan and Taylor have been in and out of the Reading team recently and appear to be surplus to requirements at Reading FC, despite clocking up plenty of appearances during the last season.

Akpan made 24 appearances for the Royals last term, but his career at Reading saw him on the bench more frequently than in the starting eleven - an experience shared with Jake Taylor. Akpan turned professional at Everton before moving to Crawley. He joined Reading in January 2013, from Crawley, and made a total of 63 appearances for the Royals scoring 1 goal.

Taylor has been on Reading's books since he was a youth player but has spent most of his career out on loan. After starting last season as a first team regular and also making appearances for Wales, he found opportunities limited under new manager Steve Clarke. He finished last season on loan at Leyton Orient and has also had loan spells at Cheltenham, Exeter and Aldershot.

Taylor was an unused substitute during Saturday's first game of the new Championship season, when Reading were defeated 1-2 at Birmingham City. Speaking about his move Taylor said, "I am coming to Motherwell with the aim of getting as much game time as possible and to help the team. I've had a good pre-season down at Reading, played a few games and I feel fit and ready to go."

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