Football truly has its twists and turns, doesn’t it? This time last year, we were reeling from the disappointment of relegation to League One, a division we hadn’t seen ourselves in for over two decades. And now, oddly enough, we find ourselves relieved just to have maintained our place in it.

Nevertheless, here we are, having successfully avoided the drop, and now it’s time to shift our focus to the future and capitalize on our strong finish. While new ownership may be on the horizon, it’s crucial to maintain fiscal discipline, operating within strict financial parameters when it comes to player wages.

In this article, the spotlight is on the midfield, which I’ve divided into defensive and attacking segments. In our tactical setup, whether it’s the 4-2-3-1 formation or the 4-1-4-1, these players play critical roles, serving as the backbone of our team’s structure.

I’ve chosen not to include wingers here, as they tend to be more involved in the attacking phase rather than the midfield. Our attacking midfielders often drop back to support the central midfield duo in the 4-2-3-1, and naturally slot into the midfield quartet in the 4-1-4-1.

Looking closely, it’s evident that we require a dedicated defensive midfielder to alleviate pressure on Michael Craig and share the defensive workload with Charlie Savage and Lewis Wing. Additionally, we could benefit from someone who can provide an alternative option to Harvey Knibbs. Thankfully, we seem adequately stocked with central midfielders who excel in the “8” role, so there’s no immediate need to recruit for this position.

When it comes to defensive midfield, our options are somewhat limited. Michael Craig is our sole true “6”, but being a young player, he still has room to refine his game. While Wing and Savage have performed admirably in this role, they seem better suited to playing as “deep-lying 8s” rather than traditional defensive “6s”, as demonstrated by their success in the 4-2-3-1 setup where defensive responsibilities can be shared.

Perhaps what we’re missing is our own version of N’Golo Kanté. Jack Senga-Ngoyi stands out as a promising candidate from our academy who could step into this role. As a natural defensive midfielder with experience in senior football, particularly during his time at Ayr United in the Scottish Championship, he brings valuable physicality at 6’2″. Considering our midfield lacks height, his presence could be beneficial. While Tivonge Rushesha is another option, he’s likely more suited to an “8” role due to his energy and versatility. However, his potential inclusion depends on his contract extension and his role within the first team.

Looking beyond our ranks, Joe Powell of Burton Albion emerges as an intriguing prospect. With his contract expiring and his team narrowly avoiding relegation, a move to Reading could be enticing. Despite his relatively young age of 25, he boasts League One experience and impressive stats, including goals, assists, tackles, interceptions, clearances, and key passes per game. Though his pass success rate raises some concerns, it may reflect his team’s playing style or his deployment in a more advanced position.

Herbie Kane, currently with Barnsley, presents another option. Despite experiencing a dip in form this season, he has proven himself in the Championship and could be seeking a fresh start as his contract expires. With his knack for goals, assists, and solid passing statistics, Kane could add depth to our midfield.

Finally, tapping into the talent pool of the Manchester City academy, particularly with Alex Robertson who has been on loan at Portsmouth, could prove fruitful. Although sidelined with an injury, his association with a renowned academy suggests promising potential.

Robertson has weighed in with four assists and one goal in 21 appearances this season for Portsmouth, and other encouraging per-game statistics are: 1.1 aerials won, 1.7 shots, 1.3 key passes, 1.2 dribbles, 1.2 tackles and an 82.3% pass success rate. With room to grow and further his development, Reading could be an ideal club him to achieve his potential.

Armani Little

Finally, Armani Little, with a stylish name for quite a stylish player. Currently playing for mid-table AFC Wimbledon in League Two, the 27-year-old is recording some good defensive stats in the league and looks like he could be a solid squad option to provide a solid base in midfield and experience to the side.

His defensive stats per game for the season read as 2.2 tackles, 1.3 interceptions, 0.9 interceptions and 1.3 aerials won. From an attacking standpoint, he has provided four goals and four assists this season and registered per game 1.1 key passes, 1.4 shots and a pass success rate of 73.5%.

Teaming up with Ruben Sellés and former AFC Wimbledon coach James Oliver Pearce could see Little further develop his game as he approaches his peak years.

Proposed options

Internal: Jack Senga-Ngoyi (academy) and Tivonge Rushesha (academy).

External: Joe Powell (Burton Albion – free), Herbie Kane (Barnsley – free), Alex Robertson (Manchester City – free) and Armani Little (AFC Wimbledon – free)

Attacking midfielder

By which I mean a “number 10”, and by which I really mean “someone to give Harvey Knibbs time to put his feet up and have a cuppa”. Knibbs is really the one person in the team that we don’t seem to have any natural like-for-like replacements for, other than perhaps Azeez’ place on the right wing.

Knibbs has a real engine on him and never stops running, has a great understanding linking the midfield and attack together, the fluidity to drift wide to support the wingers, and has an eye for goal contributions. Not only this, he is a defensive lynchpin for the side, with the number of tackles and interceptions he makes higher up the pitch, allowing for quick turnovers and transitions to catch teams out of shape and on the break.

One of these things would be tricky enough to replace, but finding a player who embodies all of this as a direct replacement is no mean feat. Perhaps if we had another striker option, Sam Smith could drop deeper as a 10 or maybe if Ben Elliott continues his run of form, he has a decent shout of stepping up to cover Knibbs. The same could be said of Savage, who certainly has the work rate to match Knibbs, but isn’t necessarily seen as a real attacking outlet, set pieces aside.

Maybe one internal option is Charlie Wellens, from the under-21s. He nominally operates in a number 10 role for the academy side and contributed five goals and one assist in the regular league season, and is able to drop a bit deeper into midfield (like Knibbs) or float out wide (like Knibbs). His previous education at Manchester United with Charlie Savage could also be a budding relationship on the field.

I’ve also mentioned Rushesha as, much like Knibbs, he has energy to burn. I’d like to see more of what he is able to do in an attacking role as he seems to operate more as a 6 or a deeper-lying 8, but still only 21, he has time to develop his game still – if retained.

Marc Leonard

Looking outside the club, one name stands out as an option for us: Marc Leonard, currently on loan at Northampton Town from Brighton & Hove Albion. He can play anywhere in midfield and has registered five goals and six assists this season, predominately playing as an 8. However, he also has great defensive attributes, making 2.6 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game. His passing game is excellent too, with an 81.8% accuracy, and a range of passing styles dependent on where he is on the pitch.

A loan signing of this quality could really be a game-changer for us and, at 22, young with League One experience, he will blend in well with the rest of the squad and also contribute across other areas of the midfield to allow for squad rotation and injury cover, given how many games our first-teamers can be expected to play next season.

George Maris

Elsewhere, looking at League Two, George Maris of Mansfield Town has recorded some really good performances this season with Mansfield securing automatic promotion to League One. However, he has a contract expiring this summer and could be keen on stepping up to a bigger club, such as Reading, for the prime years of his career.

Maris has had a good season in front of goal, providing 11 goals and six assists for the team. Some other really good attacking statistics that stand out are his 83.5% pass-success rate and his 1.4 key passes and 1.7 shots per game. Defensively, he’s not contributed a huge amount for the side but still racks up 1.7 tackles and 0.7 aerial duels won per game. Perhaps with the right coaching, these figures can be improved.

Callum O’Hare

Lastly, and looking up the leagues now, Callum O’Hare of Coventry City stands out as a potentially good signing. Only 25 years old, he has featured pretty regularly for Coventry this season but not in every game. This could explain his slightly lower goal contributions – compared to the other two names – of 10 goals and three assists.

However, his passing is excellent, at an 86% success rate and 1.2 key passes made per game, along with 0.7 dribbles per game, which demonstrates he is also quite a mobile player. He is another one that will need to demonstrate a little more improvement in his defensive game, but 1.1 tackles per match is a decent foundation upon which to build.

Proposed options

Internal: Sam Smith (role change), Tivonge Rushesha (academy) and Charlie Wellens (academy)

External: Marc Leonard (Brighton – loan), George Maris (Mansfield – free) and Callum O’Hare (Coventry City – free)