For a player who once looked capable of reaching the top level while at Reading FC, Ovie Ejaria’s career has taken a dramatic turn in recent years.
The former Reading midfielder is now a free agent after leaving Real Oviedo, having made only eight appearances during the 2025/26 La Liga campaign.
It is a far cry from the promise Ejaria showed during his early years at Reading, where he quickly established himself as one of the Championship club’s most naturally gifted players.
Ejaria initially joined the Royals on loan from Liverpool in January 2019 and helped Reading pull away from relegation trouble under Jose Gomes.
A second loan spell followed for the 2019/200 season before Reading made the move permanent in 2020, paying around £3million to Liverpool for his services.
His best football came under Veljko Paunovic, with Ejaria regularly operating alongside a young Michael Olise in an exciting Reading side.
The pair were part of a team which challenged towards the top end of the Championship, with Ejaria’s ability to glide past opponents and carry the ball through midfield making him a firm favourite among supporters.
By the time Reading signed him permanently, expectations were high.
Ejaria had made 124 appearances for the club, scoring nine goals, before his time at the Select Car Leasing Stadium eventually came to an unhappy conclusion.
The first major signs of trouble came after Paul Ince replaced Paunovic in February 2022.
Ince was clearly a fan of Ejaria’s ability but demanded more from the midfielder.
“He’s got loads of ability. It’s about producing it on the pitch,” Ince said in December 2022, while acknowledging that the player had impressed during the previous season.
But discipline soon became an issue.
Ejaria was left out of Reading’s training camp in Tenerife during the 2022 World Cup break, with Ince confirming that the decision was made for disciplinary reasons.
“Ovie’s a great kid, he trains well all the time but discipline wise you can’t do that,” Ince said at the time.
The midfielder was also dealing with injury problems, and his involvement with the first team became increasingly limited.
His last competitive appearance for Reading came in November 2022, and he would never play for the club again.
For the next year, Ejaria remained on the sidelines as injuries, fitness issues and disciplinary matters contributed to him being omitted from the squad.
Reading eventually confirmed in December 2023 that his contract had been terminated by mutual consent.
The club said injury and fitness problems had limited his first-team involvement, while the decision also reflected a desire to reduce expenditure.
By then, a player who had once looked destined for a much higher level was facing an uncertain future.
There were attempts to revive his career elsewhere, including trials with Plymouth Argyle and Egyptian club Zamalek, before former Reading manager Paunovic offered him another opportunity.
Paunovic was instrumental in Ejaria joining Real Oviedo in 2025 after the club has won promotion to the Spanish top flight the previous campaign.
The move gave Ejaria the chance to return to one of Europe’s major leagues and, remarkably, he made his La Liga debut against Real Madrid.
But opportunities were limited.
He made just eight league appearances for Oviedo during the 2025/26 season, starting two matches and playing 196 minutes in total, without registering a goal or assist.
His contract has now ended, leaving Ejaria without a club at the age of 28.
It makes for a remarkable career trajectory.
At Reading, there were periods when his talent was obvious and his partnership with players such as Olise suggested he could go on to play at the highest level.
Instead, injuries, fitness problems and disciplinary difficulties combined to derail his progress.
For Reading supporters, Ejaria’s career will perhaps always be remembered as one of the club’s great “what ifs” – a player with extraordinary natural ability who never managed to sustain the level of performance that once made him look destined for much more.
