Amid Reading FC struggles, Mark Bowen deserves credit for triple summer transfer swoop: View | OneFootball

Reading have struggled massively off the pitch in the past nine months.

A transfer embargo prevented them from making progress for much of the summer transfer window, but when their heavy restrictions were lifted, head of football operations Mark Bowen was able to make use of the limited funds he had by bringing in some top-quality players.

A rebuild was required at the Select Car Leasing Stadium after there were a high number of departures at the end of last term, with the likes of Lucas Joao and Yakou Meite leaving on the expiration of their deals.

Not only did players leave when their contracts expired, but the likes of Tom Ince, Naby Sarr, and Andy Carroll also departed as well as their previous loanees.

This made it vitally important that the Royals brought in a sufficient number of players during the summer window - and that's what they were able to do.

This is largely thanks to Bowen, who has had to deal with difficult off-field factors to get deals over the line.

Some of their summer signings have been better than others, but the four that really stand out are Tyler Bindon, Harvey Knibbs, Sam Smith and Lewis Wing.

A lot has already been said about Bindon, who was linked with a move to Arsenal earlier this term, but the other three have also been vital.

Looking back, Cambridge United will be devastated by the fact both Knibbs and Smith left the Abbey Stadium to move to Berkshire on free transfers.

During the early stages of the campaign, Knibbs was ineffective out wide and Smith was out injured, with both failing to hit the ground running for different reasons.

But Knibbs has been particularly impressive in recent months after being moved into a central role, richly benefitting from Ruben Selles' move away from a 4-2-2-2 system.

Able to make a real impact in the middle, he has registered 15 goals and seven assists in 43 competitive appearances during the 2023/24 campaign.

Smith, meanwhile, has been extremely useful because he can play well up front on his own and be a useful scorer at this level.

Scoring nine goals in 27 games this season, the Royals' academy graduate has clearly grown since his first spell at the SCL Stadium.

Lewis Wing has been a game-changer for Reading FC

Wing may have six goals and nine assists in 39 competitive appearances this season, but his impact has been even bigger than those numbers suggest.

Charlie Savage may have performed better recently and Michael Craig has been excellent at times, but without Wing, the Royals would be in deeper trouble than they are now.

A game-changer with his passing and ability to score from range, he proved to be an excellent free transfer addition.

Wing was heavily linked with a move to Queens Park Rangers, but the Royals were able to get a deal over the line in the end.

Bowen deserves a huge amount of credit for being able to bring the midfielder in, as well as Knibbs and Smith.

Those three could keep the Berkshire outfit afloat in League One and if they do, Bowen should take a lot of credit.