SQUADWATCH - Summer 2026

[jonnyroyal1871]

A miserable read this thread, if I may say so. Let's be real here (and I liked Wareham, he shouldn't have left in theory) but he's not scoring Jack's second or third goals v WW is he? Or any striker we've had near the club in aeons. I'm also not saying that Jack would have ripped up the L1 Golden Boot had he stayed fit - he wasn't going to stay fit. Jack is in the Alfie, Curo, Long style of forward. We worsened his injury by making him do all his own running. If we'd just kept him as a centre forward, he would have played more I suspect - but if fit, he's the best No.9 in this league. We needed MOM to work, Keane was never going to be a partner for him, and Kelvin isn't it.

Trying not to cross threads here, but it's not the players altogether, the spine in JP - Williams, Paudie, Ward - Wing, Savage - then Jack + 1 is actually really good. It's the deliberate non-football that they're being asked to play that's the main issue. It's almost laughable that posters in this thread are blasé about Marriott, how would you replace him? we wouldn't. We couldn't He needs a runner in and around him. That's it.

Oh, and Kelvin A I think is worth another deal, and a L2 loan. Not fussed otherwise. Maybe Kanu, he might step up to L1. maybe.

[morganb]

Leam Richardson when asked whether he thought Ryan Nyambe or Will Keane would be at #ReadingFC next season:

“I wouldn’t have thought so.”

https://x.com/i/status/2049888378712109326

https://x.com/i/status/2049868255771152524

[Sutekh]

Leam Richardson when asked whether he thought Ryan Nyambe or Will Keane would be at #ReadingFC next season:

“I wouldn’t have thought so.”

https://x.com/i/status/2049888378712109326

https://x.com/i/status/2049868255771152524

Why ask about just two of the loans ? Much more interested in Doyle

[Hound]

Leam Richardson when asked whether he thought Ryan Nyambe or Will Keane would be at #ReadingFC next season:

“I wouldn’t have thought so.”

https://x.com/i/status/2049888378712109326

https://x.com/i/status/2049868255771152524

Why ask about just two of the loans ? Much more interested in Doyle

Doyle’s sign off interview didn’t suggest there was much chance of him coming back

Do think they slightly exaggerated how effective he was for us tbh, he was pretty poor pre Xmas. Some good games before his injury certainly and a talented lad though

[Sutekh]

Leam’s end of season “message”:

https://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/2026/m ... he-season/

[stealthpapes]

It's a good listen. Addresses the common points.

I am a big fan of "changes after changes after changes, only to end up in a different league. That's not going upwards, that's going down".

Words taken off my fingers there.

[stealthpapes]

"the foundation of the squad is there, we just now need to make sure there's less disparity within that, so we can meet the demands and the robustness of the level to be successful."

Also sane.

[Orion1871]

Does it say whether he'll be using children as a shield again to protect him from being booed before the game tomorrow?

[Sutekh]

IMO Reading need the following to strengthen the squad in the close season….

1. A striker that can score goals and hold the ball up reliably
2. A pacey AM
3. 2 quick wingers that actually play like proper wingers and not the inverted slop that seems to be the trend these days
4. A left back
5. A couple of central midfielders capable of being decent DMs that can also cover for Savage when he gets sold

When is the released list announced?

Looking forward to the next fanciful playing trend being started by the next WC winners which every club in the FL will suddenly take up next season despite the obvious gap in player standards.

[under the tin]

Looking forward to the next fanciful playing trend being started by the next WC winners which every club in the FL will suddenly take up next season despite the obvious gap in player standards.

Good darts, Suts.
Cap doffed, you're as old and cynical as I am.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Looking forward to the next fanciful playing trend being started by the next WC winners which every club in the FL will suddenly take up next season despite the obvious gap in player standards.

Good darts, Suts.
Cap doffed, you're as old and cynical as I am.

but who gets to make the decisions (retain/release) if LR has already been ‘brogued’?’

[6ft Kerplunk]

Looking forward to the next fanciful playing trend being started by the next WC winners which every club in the FL will suddenly take up next season despite the obvious gap in player standards.

Let's hope a country doesn't fluke it playing Leamball then.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Looking forward to the next fanciful playing trend being started by the next WC winners which every club in the FL will suddenly take up next season despite the obvious gap in player standards.

Let's hope a country doesn't fluke it playing Leamball then.

Tbf, Deschamps-Ball wasn't that different. The main difference was they could just pass it to Mbappe.

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Looking forward to the next fanciful playing trend being started by the next WC winners which every club in the FL will suddenly take up next season despite the obvious gap in player standards.

Let's hope a country doesn't fluke it playing Leamball then.

Tbf, Deschamps-Ball wasn't that different. The main difference was they could just pass it to Mbappe.

How very dare you...

DD's list of achievements as a Manager:

Monaco:
Coupe de la Ligue: 2002–03
UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2003–04

Juventus:
Serie B: 2006–07

Marseille:
Ligue 1: 2009–10
Coupe de la Ligue: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12
Trophée des Champions: 2010, 2011

France
FIFA World Cup: 2018; 
runner-up: 2022
UEFA Nations League: 2020–21 third place: 2024–25
UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2016

Individual:
Ligue 1 Manager of the Year: 2004
The Best FIFA Football Coach: 2018
Globe Soccer Awards Coach of the Year: 2018
World Soccer Magazine World Manager of the Year: 2018
IFFHS World's Best National Coach: 2018, 2020

Honours:
Knight of the Legion of Honour: 1998
Officer of the Legion of Honour: 2018

The French may get all precious about his pragmatic style, but he's a winner over and over again.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Let's hope a country doesn't fluke it playing Leamball then.

Tbf, Deschamps-Ball wasn't that different. The main difference was they could just pass it to Mbappe.

How very dare you...

DD's list of achievements as a Manager:

Monaco:
Coupe de la Ligue: 2002–03
UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2003–04

Juventus:
Serie B: 2006–07

Marseille:
Ligue 1: 2009–10
Coupe de la Ligue: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12
Trophée des Champions: 2010, 2011

France
FIFA World Cup: 2018; 
runner-up: 2022
UEFA Nations League: 2020–21 third place: 2024–25
UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2016

Individual:
Ligue 1 Manager of the Year: 2004
The Best FIFA Football Coach: 2018
Globe Soccer Awards Coach of the Year: 2018
World Soccer Magazine World Manager of the Year: 2018
IFFHS World's Best National Coach: 2018, 2020

Honours:
Knight of the Legion of Honour: 1998
Officer of the Legion of Honour: 2018

The French may get all precious about his pragmatic style, but he's a winner over and over again.

I guess every top manager style is only a few one-percenters away from being ineffective. But at least if you're an ineffective Klopp wannabe you get a few goals and some fun wins alongside some thrashings. Whereas an ineffective attempt to emulate someone like Deschamps leaves you with nothing to enjoy.

[MR. CYNICAL]

Blimey, it's going to be a long hard close season on this board!

[leon]

Blimey, it's going to be a long hard close season on this board!

[Clyde1998]

Probably expected, but Andy Yiadom looks like he's leaving the club this summer. Appears a return to League Two Barnet is on the cards.

[Clyde1998]

When is the released list announced?

Last five seasons:

• 2020-21 - Tue 11 May (final game Sat 8 May; 3 days after)
• 2021-22 - Fri 20 May (Sat 7 May; 13 days)
• 2022-23 - Wed 17 May (Mon 8 May; 9 days)
• 2023-24 - Wed 8 May (Sat 27 Apr; 11 days)
• 2024-25 - Fri 16 May (Sat 3 May; 13 days)

I'd expect an official announcement at some point between Monday 11th and Friday 15th.

[Clyde1998]

IMO Reading need the following to strengthen the squad in the close season….

1. A striker that can score goals and hold the ball up reliably
2. A pacey AM
3. 2 quick wingers that actually play like proper wingers and not the inverted slop that seems to be the trend these days
4. A left back
5. A couple of central midfielders capable of being decent DMs that can also cover for Savage when he gets sold

When is the released list announced?

Looking forward to the next fanciful playing trend being started by the next WC winners which every club in the FL will suddenly take up next season despite the obvious gap in player standards.

We'll need at least one right-back too, especially as Nyambe was on loan; and Yiadom almost certainly going.

If Abrefa also goes, we'll probably need two RBs.