Tommy Elphick Arrives On Loan

29 January 2018
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Reading have completed the loan signing of centre back Tommy Elphick from Championship side Aston Villa. Elphick will stay with the Royals on loan until the end of the season. Elphick arrived at Villa from Bournemouth in the Summer of 2016 for a three million pound transfer fee, but after 26 appearances for Villa last season he has featured just six times this campaign. After two league cup appearances, including a red card in the home defeat to Middlesbrough, he played just four Championship games before arriving at Reading hoping to secure more first team football.

The loan arrival of Elphick follows the earlier season-long loan departure of winger Adrian Popa. Popa has now agreed a move to Al-Taawoun in Saudi Arabia after also finding first team football hard to come by at Reading. Popa has been at Reading for a year, making nine starts in all competitions.

After a busy summer in the transfer market, the January transfer window is expected to be much quieter for the Royals. Under-fire Reading manager Jaap Stam is not expected to have any budget for new signings and Elphick's arrival could be one of very few transfer movements either in or out. Any incoming transfers are likely to be loan-only deals as Reading face a relegation battle.

Reading have completed the loan signing of centre back Tommy Elphick from Championship side Aston Villa. Elphick will stay with the Royals on loan until the end of the season. Elphick arrived at Villa from Bournemouth in the Summer of 2016 for a three million pound transfer fee, but after 26 appearances for Villa last season he has featured just six times this campaign. After two league cup appearances, including a red card in the home defeat to Middlesbrough, he played just four Championship games before arriving at Reading hoping to secure more first team football.
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The loan arrival of Elphick follows the earlier season-long loan departure of winger Adrian Popa. Popa has now agreed a move to Al-Taawoun in Saudi Arabia after also finding first team football hard to come by at Reading. Popa has been at Reading for a year, making nine starts in all competitions.
<br/><br/>
After a busy summer in the transfer market, the January transfer window is expected to be much quieter for the Royals. Under-fire Reading manager Jaap Stam is not expected to have any budget for new signings and Elphick's arrival could be one of very few transfer movements either in or out. Any incoming transfers are likely to be loan-only deals as Reading face a relegation battle.

Discussion On This Story:

Stranded

» 28 Jan 2018 13:05

According to Alan Nixon on Twitter, will be heading out on loan from Villa and we are very interested.

windermereROYAL

» 28 Jan 2018 13:15

Rumour we are interested. expect a late interest from Leeds. always happens.

https://twitter.com/TalkReading/status/957608047790174208

From Despair To Where?

» 28 Jan 2018 13:17

He would he a boon to our defence.

AthleticoSpizz

» 28 Jan 2018 13:19

hi ho

Anonymous

» 28 Jan 2018 13:30

Seems to be a strange use of Popa's loan wages. A striker is and always has been the priority.

Royal_jimmy

» 28 Jan 2018 13:35

I'd be very happy to see him here. We need someone to shore things up at the back badly

alfie9

» 28 Jan 2018 16:25

I like this move. Can't see Villa asking for much since they have Terry, Chester and now Tuanzebe. Experienced players are what we need right now to steady the ship

genome

» 28 Jan 2018 16:29

If we sign him we'll have have two Championship winning defenders in our central defence, managed by a Champions League winning central defender.
Imagine if we got relegated with that :lol:

Millsy

» 28 Jan 2018 16:45

Same old story.

windermereROYAL

» 28 Jan 2018 17:37

Henley Royal 1

» 28 Jan 2018 17:42

Would not turn my nose up at centre half to play alongside Moore . Chris Martin still in Dubai mulling over a move to Reading or Sunderland the agony of choice.

Snowflake Royal

» 28 Jan 2018 22:41

Possibly a sign McShane's out for a while, and / or Stam is looking seriously at starting 3 CBs.
I think I'd rather rely on Moore, Ilori and Blackett with Andressen as back up (or playing LB come to that)

TiagoIlori

» 28 Jan 2018 23:17

Many teams in this league are desperate for a 20 goal a season striker, we are no different and that will explain why we haven’t found one yet. Anyway a player the quality of Elphick when McShane is finished, Blackett and Ilori are inconsistent is far too good to turn down. If it was down to me, I think centre back and left back have to be priority, and any half decent striker that scores around double figures a season would do at this point. I personally would take the chance to give Smith or Bodvarsson a run of games, both of those strikers are upgrades on Kermorgant at the moment, Loader isn’t quite there yet and I don’t see Novakovich making the grade here

genome

» 29 Jan 2018 07:18

@SportsPeteO 2m

Aston Villa defender Tommy Elphick set for medical at Reading ahead of loan move. #AVFC #readingfc

Hound

» 29 Jan 2018 07:58

SSN have confimred. Don’t know much about him tbh but anything that can help our defence should be welcomed

Stranded

» 29 Jan 2018 08:30

Villa fans on Twitter seem a bit annoyed that he is off which could be a good sign.
Defence definitely needs strengthening. Hopefully there is the option to make permanent if he, and the club do well from here on in.

Hound

» 29 Jan 2018 08:33

few interesting lines on him on wikipedia (yeah I know)
Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Elphick was appointed as the club's new captain. It came after when Birmingham Mail urged the club to appoint Elphick as the new captain, due to his inspiration towards his teammates and the way he connects well with the clubs' supporters.
could certainly do with a bit of that

Sutekh

» 29 Jan 2018 08:34

Paving the way to accept a bid for Moore?

TiagoIlori

» 29 Jan 2018 08:52

Seriously every time someone says “that’s not a striker” I’m due a pound. How can anyone make such a stupid statement, do you seriously not think we already have spent months looking for one and that there’s a load of competition for one at the moment, like really? Any opportunity to significantly improve the defence is welcomed, a good striker won’t turn us into Barcelona
Paving the way to accept a bid for Moore?
Moore to do with a long term McShane injury tbf, considering Liam Moore played in the FA cup it looks like he could be staying for now

GazzTheSpaz

» 29 Jan 2018 09:14

I would question that, even though a striker is obviously high priority we need to stop leaking goals. 5 clean sheets in 28 games is just not good enough.

Having to score 2 or 3 goals to win games will not be solved by just getting one striker in.

Absolutely, that is not a great clean sheet record, maybe if we had an attack that could do something with the ball then we wouldn't be relying on our last line of defence to be passing it around all game, let's face it, when the defence makes a mistake you're normally up sh*t street. We need not to be looking for cracks in their defence but creating them

genome

» 29 Jan 2018 09:26

@ChronCourtney

#avfc boss Steve Bruce confirmed Tommy Elphick to #readingfc is imminent. Should be completed today/tomorrow.

John Smith

» 29 Jan 2018 09:32

Superb signing. I think I put this in a 'Players you'd like us to sign' thread last season. Captain at Bournemouth and Villa - he's exactly what we need.
Anyone mentioning strikers in this thread can take their negativity elsewhere.

Henley Royal 1

» 29 Jan 2018 10:11

Captain Leader at last .

windermereROYAL

» 29 Jan 2018 10:25

I was right though, it appears Leeds were in for him too, what is it about those cnuts ? glad he appears to have chosen us. just have to try and keep hold of Moore for a couple of days now.

Hound

» 29 Jan 2018 10:49

Sending every team in the prem the video of Weds 3rd goal should do the trick

Anonymous

» 29 Jan 2018 11:10

I don't think now is the time to be fussy. We have to welcome any new signing within reason.
Unless it is Jordon Mutch of course.

windermereROYAL

» 29 Jan 2018 11:31

Lets hope Stam don't play him on the wing.

Norfolk Royal

» 29 Jan 2018 12:02

I think the signing of Elphick will be a Boon for us.

Victor Meldrew

» 29 Jan 2018 12:03

A bit surprised that he hasn't featured much for Villa.

A steady Eddie old-fashioned no-nonsense centre-back and was captain of Bournemouth for some time.

Seems ideal for a relegation fight-he's probably a mate of Yann's which has led to the deal.

I wonder if he has the same agent as Yann and Grabban and also wonder if Richards is destined for Bournemouth-there have been murmurings for a while about that happening and Eddie Howe has bought 3 players in recent times from lower division (Leeds, Sheff Utd and Blackburn all for in excess of £1 million) that are still very young but had shown potential.
Back to Elphick-pleased about this one as he is a leader, something that our defence needs with McShane no longer up to it and Moore badly in need of help.

Victor Meldrew

» 29 Jan 2018 12:04

You have to be of a certain age to appreciate that one.

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