LATEST UPDATE : Reading head coach mentioned key position that need to be replaced this summer

As Alex points out, Reading has yet to fully replace Omar Richards in the long run, and it’s time that changed. For the first time in what seems like a long time, we have a solid core of a squad heading into the summer. We have ample cover in most areas, and our primary goal is to add depth to aid rotation, allowing players to rest more and lessen the chance of burnout and/or injury.

Reading, in my opinion, needs to add nine players to the first team, either through academy promotions or external transfers, to provide options or backup for left flank (one or two), defensive midfield (one), right wing (one), striker (one), and centre-back (two). We need a natural winger.

on the left who can assist in linking up play with the striker, usually Sam Smith, and then depth in that position. Moving Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan to a more central location will also benefit his development. We need a striker to relieve Smith’s workload, as he must have been weary at the end of the season after appearing to be our only centre forward option. A right-winger to give Femi Azeez a break will also help his development – the quality is and has always been there, but you get the impression that he struggled as the season progressed simply because he has never had to play so frequently and intensely in his career.

We do not have a natural defensive midfielder in this team Lewis Wing and Charlie Savage are more like deep-lying playmakers, whereas Michael Craig is still raw and needs time to learn and refine his trade, as well as someone to show him how it is done so he can learn. And center-back: well, we just watched a bunch of them go, and Harlee Dean appears to be missing, so this goes without saying. However, none of these positions is in greater need of a long-term solution than left-back. In fact, we really need two players to bolster our ranks in this position.

This is no disrespect to Jeriel Dorsett. He is obviously a capable defender, but he is not a natural left-back. He is not the type of player that makes marauding runs down the channel or is comfortable carrying the ball inside the field.

He is a centre-back by trade, and while his time at left-back will have helped him develop match experience and game management skills, as well as improving his passing range and effectiveness, movement, and reading of the game, he is still a developing, albeit good, centre-back. This is where Dorsett’s long-term future should be, and it would relieve the strain on finding a left-sided centre-back, which is notoriously tough to fill.