With just two weeks to go until the start of a new season for Reading there is still plenty of work left to be done until the squad looks competitive enough with the attack currently looking very light.
That begs the question – where are the goals going to come from?
Last season was a superb campaign for Reading who finished just one place outside the play-off places despite all the off field issues.
Sam Smith carried much of the goalscoring burden during his second spell with the Royals, netting 26 League One goals in 59 games before he left to join Wrexham in January 2025.
Harvey Knibbs has contributed plenty of goals from midfield and has got into double figures in both of his League One campaigns with Reading, scoring 14 league goals last season.
However, with Smith long gone and now several Championship clubs circling for Knibbs’ signature this summer, who will be able to step up to the plate to fire Reading in contention for a top six finish?
There’s no doubt that Reading have some excellent options in the squad, most notably in midfield.
The centre of the pitch is packed with some fine footballers, namely Lewis Wing, who is arguably the best midfielder in the league. Charlie Savage excelled last season and showed that he is one of the most promising young players in the division. With Ben Elliott coming back from injury having missed large chunks of last season, Noel Hunt has plenty of options in midfield with some very talented players.
You can also make a strong case for Joel Pereira being one of the best goalkeepers in the league, who will likely save the team multiple points this coming season.
However, unless the attack is addressed sufficiently, this season could be a real uphill battle.
It’s not just a number nine that Reading are lacking, but goal contributions from the wings looks to be in very short supply too.
Having lost Jayden Wareham to Exeter City after he decided to reject a new deal with Reading and with Kelvin Ehibhationhan yet to put pen to paper, options in the attacking areas are very sparse as it stands.
Young forward Mark O#Mahony arrived from Brighton & Hove Albion on a season-long loan deal and although he has plenty of potential, he has little experience in scoring at senior level despite scoring three times in 13 games for Portsmouth last season.
To put the goal scoring burden purely on the shoulders of a 20-year-old forward is unreasonable and he needs sufficient support before the season starts.
Mamadi Camara who is likely to occupy one of the spots on the wing has never been a prolific scorer during his time in the first-team and again is an area that the club must look to strengthen with just two weeks until the curtain raiser against Lincoln City.
Reading have been strongly linked with a move for Nottingham Forest winger Josh Bowler who would provide great quality at this level.
Hopefully in two weeks time we will have seen several more incomings with Hunt even admitting that he’d like six or seven new additions before the transfer window closes.
Reading scored 68 goals in 46 league games last season and with a defence that is likely to match up to the security that was brought by Amadou Mbengue and Tyler Bindon last season, a similar tally will be needed if there is any hope of competing among the top six.
There’s still plenty of time left for Reading to bolster their squad efficiently before the window closes and I’ll personally feel much more optimistic about the season ahead if we see two or three new attackers of quality through the door before September.
