Reading Football Club News: July 2025
Reading Back On The Hunt For Promotion In 2025/26
04 July 2025
By Hob Nob Anyone?
It has been a difficult few years for loyal Reading fans as football and the semblance of sports entertainment sharply took a backseat as owner Dai Yongge lurched from one unmitigated disaster to the next in what felt like his own bizarre and personal soap opera.
Tax issues and winding up orders, points deductions, relegations, a failure to pay the players and almost endless takeover talks that always broke down had left many in the faithful utterly exhausted and devoid of optimism, and although that nightmare came to an end in May with a sale to Rob Couhig finally completed, we understandably have plenty of issues to resolve as we look to put ourselves back on a firmer footing and rebuild a more solid foundation.
With some optimism renewed for the coming 2025/26 League One campaign, fans will certainly have taken plenty of heart from improved performances last term with Ruben Selles at the helm, which largely continued with Noel Hunt latterly returning to the managerial hotseat and for those fans who like a flutter promotion betting odds accuracy will be improved given we are now on a firmer footing. Having rejoined the club in early December, the 42 year old former Republic of Ireland international striker took 12 wins and ten draws from his 31 games in charge, and we ultimately finished the campaign in seventh place in the table, just three points shy of Leyton Orient who took the last promotion Play Off spot.
As Hunt prepares for a proper pre season in charge of the club, and under new ownership, he will undoubtedly be hoping to match that achievement and better still, improve on it, particularly as the club will no longer be surrounded by the complete chaos that had become our norm.
With previews and predictions for the new campaign now being made, Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman believes that although we are now well placed to enjoy a good year, given the make up of the first team squad right now, he feels that a push for the top two spots in the table and automatic promotion would be a bridge too far, but another run at the Play Off spots could be on the cards for us.
For Goodman, he feels that the typical challengers will be there once again, but he naturally feels that relegated Championship sides Luton Town, Cardiff City and Plymouth Argyle will all have a good shot at going straight back up at the first time of asking so he feels that it will be 'tough for Reading to gate-crash automatic promotion' in the year ahead.
However, he admits himself that this could all change depending on the approach that Couhig decides to take when it comes to his investment into the club, and then what kind of transfer dealings we are capable of pulling off in the next month or so.
In short, like many in the wider world of football and the Royal fanbase itself, currently he has no idea how things will shape up but it is certainly going to be an interesting journey. Most of us will simply enjoy starting a season without a points deduction to be honest.
Pre-Season Fixtures Begin At Hungerford Town
03 July 2025
By Hob Nob Anyone?
Reading's pre-season fixtures kick off this Saturday 5 July as the Royals make the short trip down the A4 to play Hungerford Town at Bulpit Lane. Tickets are available on the day for 10 pounds for adults and 5 pounds for Under 16s. You can get two pounds off adult prices and a pound off children prices by buying in advance on-line. The Crusaders finished 7th in the Southern League Premier Division South last season and will be hoping for a big crowd to raise funds for their season ahead. The following Saturday Reading travel to Gillingham beofre two friendlies at Bearwood training ground behind closed doors against local rivals Swindon Town (15 July) and Oxford United (22 July).
Inbetween our two training ground friendlies Premier League Tottenham Hotspur will visit the Select Car Leasing stadium in an attractive pre-season friendly on Saturday 19 July with a 3pm kick-off. Spurs finished one place outside of the drop zone last season and will be hoping for an upbeat pre-season to kick-off a more successful season. Pre-season wraps up with the visit of Portsmouth on Saturday 26 July. Tickets for both the home games against Spurs and Pompey can now be purchased on-line. Reading's new season kicks off the follwing week as Reading make the journey to take on Lincoln City in League One.
Mbengue And Wareham Leave After Turning Down Contracts
01 July 2025
By Hob Nob Anyone?
Two key first team players have turned down new contract offers to stay at Reading, presumably to accept better offers elsewhere. Both Mbengue amd Wareham's contracts have now expired leaving them free to join new clubs.
Defender Amadou Mbengue, who had a superb season, will be joining Queens Park Rangers as his Reading contract expires. Mbengue joined Reading in September 2022 from Metz and went on to have a big impact in Berkshire, making over 100 first team appearances in all competitions and scoring 3 goals.
Jayden Wareham has left to join another League One club, signing a contract with Exeter City, in what feels like a sideways move at best. Wareham featured for Chelsea's development sides before moving to Reading after a loan spell at Leyton Orient. At only twenty two years old Wareham feels like a strong prospect for the future. After mostly featuring from the bench he began to make a real impact last season, scoring 7 goals across the season.
Reading are still clearly struggling to find funds to offer competitive contracts.