Brandon Barker at Reading FC: How’s it gone so far? What issues does he face? What’s next? | OneFootball

Brandon Barker arrived at Championship side Reading last month, looking to move on following an unsuccessful spell at Scottish Premiership champions Rangers.

The 25-year-old left Ibrox in the latter stages of January by mutual consent – and that was fortunate for the Royals who are limited in what they can do in terms of transfers after breaching the EFL’s profitability and sustainability rules.

In a side lacking depth because of these restrictions on what they could do, this arrival was a welcomed one by some, though Paul Ince’s men already have a decent number of wing options to choose from.

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This is why his signature was met by a negative reaction from a section of the second-tier side’s fans, with more depth needed in defence with Baba Rahman the only orthodox senior left-back option and the club previously suffering from injuries at centre-back.

Considering Andy Carroll’s departure and Lucas Joao’s injury record as well, with George Puscas leaving the club to join Italian outfit Pisa on loan, a striker was arguably required in their quest to fight the drop.

Focusing on Barker though, we take a look at how he has fared at the Select Car Leasing Stadium thus far.

How’s it gone so far?

It hasn’t been the most successful spell for the winger so far despite efforts made outside of the transfer window to bring him in, making just two substitute appearances and not being given a sufficient chance to shine on the pitch.

The biggest chance he did get was against Nottingham Forest, coming on in the 78th minute for Junior Hoilett when the Royals were already 4-0 down, but put in a bright performance and certainly deserved another opportunity to impress.

He brought what the Berkshire club have been lacking for many years, real pace and that exciting cameo looked to set him on a brighter path.

However, the 25-year-old hasn’t received a further minute of game time since then, mainly operating as an unused substitute and failing to force his way above the likes of Ovie Ejaria and Tom Ince in the pecking order.

Summing his time up so far, it has been extremely unsuccessful, though he hasn’t exactly received criticism for his two performances.

What issues does he face?

He was signed by previous manager Veljko Paunovic and successor Ince doesn’t seem to fancy him, with others currently ahead of him in the pecking order as mentioned.

Not only are Ejaria and Ince Jr ahead of him at this stage, but also Junior Hoilett with Tom Dele-Bashiru available as another option out wide if needed.

Alen Halilovic may also force his way into Ince’s plans after the international break, so the main issue for Barker is competing with others for a starting spot, with some including Ince Jr and Hoilett having a more impressive CV than the Manchester City academy graduate.

He does bring a turn of pace that others don’t though, so it remains to be seen whether he can win more pitch minutes between now and the end of this term.

Teammate Ince seems to play a full 90 minutes more often than not, so unless the Stoke loanee gets injured, Barker’s game time may continue to be limited.

The future isn’t looking bright for Barker in Berkshire.

His short-term contract at the Select Car Leasing Stadium ends in the summer and with only eight league games left to go until the end of the campaign, he only has a very limited amount of time to make an impression.

The Berkshire outfit’s interim boss may call on some of his more trusted players to step up whilst the Royals are still in a relegation battle and this tussle may go down to the final day, so it’s not as if the former England international can take a chance on him in several low-pressure matches.

If you had to make a prediction on his future now, you would have to say his contract won’t be renewed at the end of the season.