Reading are one of the promotion contestants in the Championship this season. What a remarkable turnaround it has been for the club which was loitering at the vicinity of the relegation zone last time around! Having finished last season being 17th in the league table, Jaap Stam has taken marauding steps to ensure that the club is taken to a recognisable and respectable stature.
The Dutchman has transformed the club their consistently stupendous performances more often than not have taken them up to third in the league table at the moment. Let’s not take the perception of the Royals’ chances of crawling even ahead of Newcastle United completely out of the equation as of now, for that isn’t something that would be impossible to achieve. The 44-year-old made the best use of the transfer window by making a late move for Bournemouth striker Lewis Grabban. The Striker has joined the club on loan for the rest of the season and will fortify their attack.
The striker had been a complete outcast under Eddie Howe’s reign and was desperately seeking for an outlet in order to leave the Vitality Stadium where the competition for places is pretty high.
He was handed merely three appearances to showcase his talents in the top flight, such a marginal figure of handing him game time hasn’t really helped him find his former self. In the grand total of just 58 minutes, he has failed to register any goal or assist and a move to Madejski Stadium could turn out to be exactly what both the parties need.
The 29-year-old, who can also be stationed on the wings, was signed from Norwich same time last year but failed to make any significant impact ever since his return to the south coast club. However, his experience in Championship is quite noteworthy. He scored 12 goals for the Canaries in the 2014-15 campaign and 22 goals for the Cherries in 2013-14 season, which is why he is so highly rated.
However at Bournemouth, he never really got going owing to the preference that is given to Benik Afobe and Callum Wilson up front. A loan deal will surely help Grabban to find his feet once again and of course, reclaim his seemingly lost status. As for Reading, adding a Premier League player will not only help them on the pitch but psychologically as well as they’ll push for the automatic qualification places.
