It’s safe to say that the 2022/23 season has been one to forget for Reading, who look as though they’re set to be preparing for life in the third-tier of English football for the first time in over 20 years. The days of the Premier League will feel like a distant memory for the majority of the club’s fanbase, who will now be turning their attention to potential trips to the likes of Shrewsbury Town, Burton Albion, as well as a long overdue clash with local rivals Oxford United.

Reading’s league campaign has been disrupted by off-field uncertainty, which eventually impacted their on-field performances, coupled in with the six point deduction that the club were hit with in the second-half of the season. Many hold owner Dai Yongge accountable for the financial mismanagement of the club in recent years, with some even fearing for the future of the Berkshire-based outfit, with Yongge previously pulling the plug with both Beijing Renhe and KSV Roeselare, with both of those clubs being dissolved due to financial problems. But Yongge’s delay in relieving Paul Ince of his duties in charge of Reading looks to be the most costly decision of all, with the Royals looking void of any attacking threat whilst the former Manchester United midfielder was in charge.

Relegation can be confirmed in a matter of days, as if Huddersfield Town are to pick up a single point, then Reading’s stay in the Championship will come to an end, and they’ll be preparing for life in League One next term. However, it’s not your typical rebuild for a club dropping into the third-tier, as the Royals have a considerable number of players that are looking likely to leave the club during the summer. Nine first-team players including the likes of Yakou Meite, Lucas Joao, and Junior Hoillet are all out of contract at the end of the 2022/23 season, and with a further six players returning to their parent clubs from loan spells at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, the Berkshire-based side are light on numbers heading into the 2023/24 campaign.

A rebuild has been long overdue though, and given that the average age of the squad is 27.2, with only Wigan Athletic having a higher average squad age of 27.8. However, with the likes of Shane Long, Scott Dann, Liam Moore, and Jeff Hendrick all likely to be leaving the club at the end of this season, it’s the ideal opportunity for the Royals to rebuild ahead of what is likely to be in League One. Andy Yiadom, Tom Holmes, Tom Ince, and youngster Mamadi Camara are contracted with Reading until 2025, whilst Naby Sarr is the only first-team player contracted until 2026. Andy Carroll, Sam Hutchinson, Femi Azeez, and Tom McIntyre are the only senior players that are contracted with the club until 2024, apart from Ovie Ejaria, whose days at Reading seem numbered due to a lack of game time, which has been heightened with off-field problems and injuries.

So, you’ve got ten senior players that you’re likely to be working with ahead of life in the third-tier of English football, so there’s two ways in which you can look at it for a new manager, which should be appointed at the earliest of opportunities during the summer, with Noel Hunt’s interim spell in charge likely to reach a conclusion in the near future. One way to look at it is that it’s a tricky few months ahead, as rebuilding a first-team squad can take time to see positive results, especially when the club has been on such a downward spiral in recent months. Reading have only two league games in this calendar year, and given that they haven’t won an away game since the 12th November 2022, you can see where their main downfall in this relegation-threatened campaign has come from. The Royals are winless from their last 12 matches, which includes a draw with Wigan Athletic last time out, and so confidence will be tough to pick up for any incoming manager.

Dai Yongge has previously gambled significant amounts of money on trying to win promotion, and ultimately, that has caused them problems with Financial Fair Play. He’s been poorly advised in the past, but some supporters are holding onto some hope that Mark Bowen can have a positive impact this summer, as they look to rebuild on the pitch ahead of the new season. High earners such as Liam Moore and Lucas Joao look as though they’re heading for the exit door, which means that there aren’t too many players left at the club from the high-earning contracts which were handed out by Ron Gourlay during his spell with the club.

Betting experts, MyBettingSites, have revealed that Wigan Athletic are the current favourites to win the League One title in the 2023/24 season on Sky Bet, although it’s worth noting that Reading aren’t yet included in the odds for next season, as it remains to be seen as to which division they’ll be playing in with one game remaining this term. Teams occupying places in the League One places for this season also aren’t included in the odds for next year’s campaign in the third-tier. Below, you’ll find the odds of some of the favourites for the League One title in the 2023/24 campaign.

  • Wigan Athletic @ 10/1
  • Portsmouth @ 12/1
  • Charlton Athletic @ 18/1
  • Blackpool @ 20/1
  • Wycombe Wanderers @ 20/1
  • Bristol Rovers @ 25/1
  • Exeter City @ 28/1
  • Port Vale @ 33/1

Odds displayed are correct as of 3:45 pm, Tuesday 2nd May 2023. Odds are subject to change.

Reading first climbed their way up the Football League and into the Premier League off the back of hard-working individuals, and working smartly when it came to their recruitment, as we saw the likes of Kevin Doyle, Shane Long, and Glen Little tear up the Championship, as they won promotion into the Premier League for the first time in their history in the 2004/05 season. That is exactly what the club needs right now, and a complete rebuild in League One gives them the ideal opportunity to do just that.

In terms of saleable assets, Reading don’t have too many of them, which isn’t too surprising given the lack of players they have under contract heading into next year’s campaign. Tom Holmes (£4.5m) and Tom McIntyre (£2m) look like the most appealing options for potential suitors given their experience in English football at a relatively young age. Cesare Casadei (£600,000) has caught the eye for all the right reasons in a poor season for the club, but it seems highly unlikely that we’ll be seeing him return to the Berkshire-based side anytime soon, as he’ll be destined for a move to a club challenging for promotion into the Premier League.

One area that the club should certainly look into using more frequently in League One is their academy, which could potentially be on the cusp of returning to its Category One status, having previously lost it during the 2021/22 season. Omar Richards heading to Bayern Munich, before earning a move to Premier League side Nottingham Forest, and Michael Olise emerging as one of the brightest youngsters in world football after moving from Reading to Crystal Palace just shows that Reading are doing something right when it comes to giving youngsters a chance to prove themselves. However, Paul Ince wasn’t often too favourable when it came to giving some youngsters a chance to impress, with the likes of Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan only being given a chance when Reading were chasing games when a goal down. Interim manager Noel Hunt has since come in and given some youngsters more of a chance, but given the importance of picking up positive results towards the end of the season, you can understand his reluctance to rely too heavily on younger players which he’s worked with in the Under-21s.

Next season could be the ideal opportunity to give the likes of Nelson Abbey, Kelvin Abrefa, Kian Leavy, and Jahmari Clarke a prolonged spell in the first-team picture, as plenty of supporters would argue that they’ve earned a chance to impress in the senior team. Clarke in particular can feel slightly hard done by, having netted a brace against Birmingham City back in November 2021 whilst under the management of Veljko Paunovic. The Jamaican youngster made a bright start to a loan spell with League One side Forest Green Rovers, having scored against Morecambe on his second appearance for the club, before being ruled out of action for the remainder of the 2022/23 season with a torn tendon, so he’s one that will be eager to prove himself next season for Reading.

The future might look bleak for Reading supporters if the club can’t adjust well to the demands of life in League One, but if they can recruit well in the summer, then there’s no reason as to why they can’t make a swift return back into the Championship, which puts them one step away from the promised land of the Premier League.

Statistics and transfer values sourced from Transfermarkt.