Hutchinson, Davenport, Guinness-Walker: The latest Reading FC news headlines you might have missed

Championship side Reading are building well ahead of the upcoming campaign, with six names already through the door at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

The return of Shane Long has given many of the second-tier side’s supporters a real boost, though many of their other additions are also impressive considering the restrictions the Royals are currently under.

Jeff Hendrick and Tyrese Fornah linked up well as a midfield partnership during last weekend’s friendly against West Ham United, with many of their youngsters not looking out of place either.

Defender John Clarke and central midfielder Kian Leavy looked particularly bright – and they will be hoping to force their way into Paul Ince’s thoughts before the new campaign officially gets underway.

There’s plenty of incoming business to be done before the summer window closes though, with the left-back area one that particularly needs to be addressed along with a couple of other key positions.

It comes as no surprise then that these latest headlines are all transfer-related, a good sign for the Royals as 2022/23 approaches.

Hutchinson poised to sign

The Berkshire side are close to getting Sam Hutchinson tied down to a contract, according to assistant manager Alex Rae who spoke to Berkshire Live.

32-year-old Hutchinson was released on the expiration of his contract at Sheffield Wednesday this summer, providing Ince with the opportunity to invite him in for a trial and he has certainly impressed during his short stay at the SCL Stadium.

Performing well against both Benfica and West Ham, it’s no surprise that a deal is now very close to being completed, with the defender starting alongside Tom Holmes and Tom McIntyre in central defence last weekend.

He didn’t look out of place