Reading FC News: Transfer window verdict as Swift stays, Carroll goes and Moore heads to Stoke

• In:  Karl Hein  (loan)
• Out:  Rafael Cabral

24 hours and a bizarre final day of hurried business later, things certainly look different.

After a quiet morning, the final hours of the January transfer window saw George Puscas join Pisa on loan while a deal to swap Liam Moore and Tom Ince (both loans) - with Stoke - was announced minutes after the 11PM deadline.

In a month when Reading FC were always going to be faced with unique challenges, they ended up bringing in two players and letting go of four (if you count Andy Carroll).

• In:
• Karl Hein  (loan)
• Tom Ince (loan)
• Out:
• Rafael Cabral
• George Puscas (loan)
• Liam Moore (loan)

We can confirm that Stoke City forward Tom Ince has agreed to a loan spell in Berkshire which will run until the end of the 2021-22 season ✍💙

Centre-back Liam Moore has put pen to paper with the Potters in a loan deal of the same length 🔴⚪#InceIsARoyal | #GoodLuckLiam

— Reading FC (@ReadingFC) January 31, 2022

The Good

In a month of near total inactivity it’s hard to find the massive positives but at the very least, they didn’t lose any key players.

While none of those in the current flailing side are popular amongst supporters, losing first-team regulars - as bad as they’ve been - would not have been a good idea.

Despite multiple late Championship approaches, John Swift remains a Reading player. The same goes for Tom Holmes who was courted by Nottingham Forest. 

Of course, the duo are both out of form and will be out of contract in the summer but an already struggling team just couldn’t afford to lose the pair who are every week regulars.

John Swift remains a Reading player despite late Championship interest. Image by: JasonPIX

Meanwhile, Reading managed to shift high-wage outcasts who wanted to be elsewhere.

An amicable agreement was reached with Rafael, allowing him to terminate his contract and head to Brazil.

As one of the club’s top earners, the back-up keeper was a huge drain on Reading’s cash-strapped resources. The player himself wanted out with a view to play first team football so really it’s a win win for all.

That looked to be it in terms of Reading's bid to reduce their wage bill until all hell broke lease with hours to go. George Puscas and Liam Moore, with two of the higest wages at the club, simply weren't regulars in Paunovic's team making them far too expensive in this cost-cutting period.

Puscas' deal also includes an obligation to buy set at £4.2m should Pisa get promoted. Meanwhile, the Moore saga is anther story entirely.

There's no doubt that letting go of all three of those players was good business.

The Bad

“We haven’t brought in as many players as people probably would have liked. The group probably needs a bit of help, just to refresh it, bring in some people who haven’t been in that rut.” 

Those are the words of stand-in Reading captain Michael Morrison following Saturday’s 4-0 defeat to QPR.

The club somewhat followed through on his and supporter wishes, adding Tom Ince late on from Stoke.

Reading can certainly use Ince. They do lack consistent threat out wide although the returns of Yakou Meite and Junior Hoilett should minimise that slightly.

But you'd be hard-pressed to feel Ince is enough. Paunovic spoke multiple times about wanting defensive cover while a defensive midfielder or striker - once Puscas joined Andy Carroll out the door - would have made much more sense than a winger.

23 goals conceded in January would make defending seem a priority. And now, who replaces Lucas Joao if he gets injured again? 

Nobody really needs to hear it repeated as everyone already knows, but Morrison is right. This group does need a bit of help, they do need a refresh. And other than Ince, they’re not going to get it.

The loss of Andy Carroll is a big one. Image by: JasonPIX

Barring a free agent signing (something that is still very much a possibility) this is the squad Reading will be working with for the rest of the season.

The current group is good enough to get out of the relegation battle. But after months of struggles, everyone would have felt much better about the squad had there been just a touch of strengthening, or as Morrison puts it, refreshing.

The return of numerous injured players including Joao has this squad looking much healthier than it did in December, but the loss of Carroll - who departed after the expiry of his short-term deal - is a sizable one.

The Ugly

On January 15th, Reading announced that Liam Moore had been stripped of the Royals captaincy.

The statement included this piece on the defender’s desire to leave the club:

“Over the course of the last few months, centre-back Liam Moore has spoken with manager Veljko Paunovic and directors of the club to state his clear desire to leave Reading Football Club and pursue his career elsewhere.

“Obviously we are disappointed that Liam, a player awarded one of the club’s most significant contracts, has now stated his intention to move on. Whilst we have patiently waited for his representatives to provide us with options for us to consider in helping him fulfil that request, no offer or opportunity has been presented to the club to date.”

Liam Moore remains a Reading player despite his apparent desire to leave. Image by: JasonPIX

Moore had last played for Reading on December 11th and while Paunovic claimed he was battling a "soft-tissue" injury this was a clear breaking point.

With no clear exit strategy, it appeared Moore would remain a Reading player heading into February. All that changed late on when the centre-back departed for Stoke on loan.

It’s been a messy and distracting situation for everyone involved and all parties are likely relieved it's now in the past (for the time being). Moore can play football again while Reading won't have to deal with the bizarre feud between their former captain and manager/club.

But if we're being honest, it doesn't leave the greatest taste. The whole truth of Moore's demotion and exit remain unknown, but much of the story is currently missing.

Meanwhile, it's hard to escape the feeling that the Moore-Ince deal was less about desire and more about necessity.

As discussed above, Ince is a rather strange fit considering Reading's more pressing issues. But after months of searching for a viable destination, Moore remianed in Berkshire heading into deadline day.

Tom Ince in action for Stoke this season. Image by: PA

Moore's wages along with his reputational hit from the last few months means options were likely limited. So eventually everyone took the escape that was possible, not the escape that was necessarily ideal.

Ince hasn't been playing regularly for Stoke so it makes sense for him and his parent club but for Reading...it's the uncomfortable end to an uncomfortable saga.

The Verdict

Truthfully, it’s hard to judge any Reading transfer window in the age of EFL restrictions. Each deal needs to go through the governing body and available finances are clearly limited.

Either way, Reading definitely did not notably improve their squad. They lost Andy Carroll (as well as Rafael, Puscas, and Moore) and brought in Tom Ince (and Karl Hein) while failing to address problems almost everywhere else on the pitch. 

At least, they didn’t sell any first-team regulars. Silver lining or coping mechanism? It’s been a rough January. Let’s all hope for a better February.