Amidst the reports and rumours that circle all over the internet and major dailies, one particular eye-catchy headline has taken the football fraternity by storm. If the reports are to be believed, Reading are cruising at a brisk pace to sign the former Dutch maestro Rafael van der Vaart from Real Betis. Despite the fact that he still has a year left on his contract, he admitted recently that a move away from the Madejski Stadium might be a possibility with Reading being the frontrunners to register his signature.
As Reading prepare themselves for this audacious move, assessing van der Vaart holds paramount importance at the outset. The 33-year-old has been one of the most astounding gems the Netherlands have ever produced. After plying his trade successfully at elite clubs such as Ajax, Hamburger SV, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur, his move to the La Liga outfit Real Betis wasn’t fruitful to his standards as he had to content himself with merely nine appearances. Prior to his move to Spain last year, he had garnered a widespread recognition as one of the most lethal midfielders with a tremendous knack to score goals.
Reading are in a dire need of an attacking midfielder and the Dutch perfectly fits the bill, which is precisely the reason why Jaap Stam is trying to lure his former national teammate into his side. Although he might not be the athlete of the same calibre which he was during his brighter days at Tottenham Hotspur, to count him out would be sheer foolishness of oneself. His staggering work rate, an appraisable set of skills, wonderful finishing techniques and ability to dictate the tempo of the game in the midfield during his time at the north London and Hamburger SV still leave a sense of thrill to the football viewers.
The Championship will undoubtedly be richer if such a galvanising name gets in and despite his age being on the wrong side, he still has in him what it takes to single-handedly make Reading a formidable side to take them back to the top tier of English football. The Royals, under the tutelage of Jaap Stam, are set to embark upon a new era and his reunion with van der Vaart shall send a signal of intent to the fellow Championship sides.
Owing to the view that the veteran Dutchman has fallen out of favour with Real Betis, Reading should make a quick move to not let the opportunity pass under their nose. The prospective transfer does look like farcical one but it will definitely trigger huge positives in the Reading squad after a disappointing campaign last season.
