Veljko Paunovic drops transfer hint as Reading eye further business

Reading boss Veljko Paunovic has hinted to Berkshire Live that the club are looking to sign a defender on a free transfer at present. 

This follows what was a frustrating January window for the Royals after they missed out on the loan signing of Liverpool’s Rhys Williams in and around deadline day.

Nevertheless the club are of course free to bring in players that are out of contract and without a club – an option that Paunovic has hinted his side could be interested in exploring in the near future.

Speaking about the possibility of the Royals making further additions to their current squad, the manager stated the following:

“We’re going to look in the free agent market. We need to bring somebody who’s ready now.”

The need for a new centre back has arguably increased after the departure of Liam Moore, with the former Reading captain joining Stoke City last month as Tom Ince came the other way from the Potters.

It will certainly be interesting to see who the Royals turn to now.

The Verdict 

Signing a free agent is a tough ask in itself, let alone bringing one in that is match fit and ready to make an instant impact in what is a notoriously demanding Sky Bet Championship.

Reading will have to search high and low to bring in the right replacement for Moore and it certainly won’t be a signing that will provide a quick fix.

It isn’t an ideal situation for the Royals to be in but at the end of the day it is the only option that they have available to them at this stage of the season.

Whether they go for a more experienced option or a younger one remains to be seen but they will need to act fast in order to bring in the right individual.

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