Reading hoping to build on last season’s Premier League near-miss

Football fans will return to the Madejski Stadium - known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium this season for sponsorship reasons - after all COVID regulations were lifted in England. Supporters will begin to stream back through the gates in the hope of cheering Veljko Paunovic’s team to success.

The Royals finished seventh in a Championship that was largely played behind closed doors last season. They narrowly missed out on a place in the playoffs last season, and that hurt all concerned with the club. A return to the cash-rich top tier of English football is the aim again in the 2021/22 campaign but will Reading use the hurt suffered in spring to drive them to success this year?

It’s a big ask, according to traders at the best online sports betting sites who have them marked down for a suspected midtable finish. Royals are no strangers to causing an upset and have done many times in the past, but why have pundits been so quick to write them off for this coming season?

Royals slapped with a transfer embargo

The main reason Reading start the new season as underdogs with most followers is the team were slapped with a transfer embargo just before the opening match. It was a threat that had been hanging over the Royals for much of the season, but fans hoped it wouldn’t come to anything. They certainly didn’t envisage the club having to operate under the restrictions of a transfer embargo.

That means Reading are banned from buying new players, and that will make a tough task even more difficult. Some believe it impossible. Championship fans know anything can happen at this level, but in such a competitive field, the handicap of an embargo may end up having a huge impact on their chances of challenging for the prize places. Signings can’t be made this season as paying for players is banned under the laws of the game. It is similar to what we saw at Chelsea in Frank Lampard’s first season, although on a smaller scale to the Stamford Bridge side, of course.

Why have Reading been handed this punishment? It was deemed they had breached the strict profit and sustainability rules. It’s becoming increasingly popular for clubs in major divisions to be made follow the terms and conditions of their membership. Indeed, Reading were one of eight clubs from the English Football League to be punished in this way. The others include Derby City and Hull City.

Staggering losses

The Royals alone posted losses of a staggering £42 million in the previous year. It would appear they gambled and tried to buy their way into the promised land of the Premier League, where the streets are paved with gold. It would then be easier to cover those costs when mixing it with the likes of Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea. Digging deeper and it looks much worse. Reading lost more than £93 million since 2018. The maximum allowed by league rules is £39m over three years. Quite incredible.

How does the embargo work? The rules may state a team can’t sign players for transfer fees, but they are allowed a minimum of 23 professional players in their squad. If they have less than 23 players, they may sign free agents on a maximum one-year deal or loan players for a maximum of six months.

Paunovic undeterred by early setback

Despite this early setback, Paunovic seems undeterred and spoke to the media recently of his desire to strengthen before the new season. They have been able to sell players and help wipe a bit off the bill, but there’s still a way to go on that front.

Club chiefs are hoping pre-season talks with the EFL will lead to a suspended or lesser sentence. Fans will track that story in the hope they are shown mercy, and the club can replace the players sold and re-build for the campaign.

Reading open their season on Saturday 7 August with a trip to Stoke City with an advertised 3.00 pm start. Their first home game of the season will be played a week later when Preston North End come to visit.