Championship outfits Fulham and Reading are unarguably two sides which were desirous and productive last season, although they failed to chisel a promotion at the end. Both of these sides, however, have significantly bolstered their arsenal by manoeuvring some astute names to their ranks and despite the fact that they have had a mediocre start to their new campaign, they would still be deemed as clubs which are capable of getting the uplift this time around.
One of the players Reading prised out of the Craven Cottage during the transfer window was Sone Aluko. The Royals were constantly being linked with Aluko and eventually, a deal worth £7.5million transfer fee was materialized between both these clubs. Jaap Stam was keen to beef up his side’s attacking prowess and no wonder why they didn’t leave any stone unturned in order to rope him to the Madejski Stadium. But the question that lingers is whether Slavisa Jokanovic should have sanctioned his move?
Aluko emerged through the youth setup of Birmingham City and although he failed to construct a place for himself in the senior side of the Blues, his subsequent moves to Scottish outfits Aberdeen and Rangers proved to be very productive.
During the summer of 2012, the 28-year-old was signed by Hull City and after yet another promising spell, this time with the Tigers, Fulham lured him into their ranks last summer. He banged 8 goals and piled 10 assists to his name during his single season with the London based outfit and proved his mettle once again.
Aluko is a player with a notable calibre and his versatility of plying his trade as a secondary striker, centre-back as well as a left-winger makes him an appealing commodity. Reading wanted to add some pace and directness to their attack this summer and considering that the Nigerian international offers the aforesaid elements and thus, Stam has indeed been able to inject some more quality into his side to help him in bettering his chances of his side’s promotion.
Views have emerged after the deal was materialized that Fulham have made a mistake by letting him go, and it does make sense, for they have arguably made a wrong decision of strengthening a team which finished above them last season. Although the transfer fee was slightly bloated, Aluko has truckloads of Championship level experience under his belt and Reading have added an option who would offer them a new dimension up front.
