“Excited but cautious” – Reaction given as new Reading FC takeover update emerges | OneFootball

Reading look to be moving towards an end to their ownership saga

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

American investor Robert Platek has become the latest party to enter exclusive talks to purchase Reading.

The 61-year-old — who has investment links to technology firm Dell — was revealed by the Reading Chronicle to be the party moving towards a purchase of the club.

He is not the first to get to this stage in recent times, but Royals fans will be hopeful it’s the real deal this time, after years of turmoil under current owner Dai Yongge.

We spoke to our Reading Fan Pundit, Johnny Hunt, for his take on the latest ownership update.

Platek looks promising, says Reading fan

Speaking to Football League World, Johnny said: “Yeah, look, I think it's a good opportunity to have somebody like him in charge of the club.

“You know, he's had the experience, did very well running the club in Portugal, did okay with the one in Italy, not so great in Denmark, but he seems to, kind of, do it the Reading way, if that makes sense?

“If you have to sell players to keep the club going, that's fine, but it's low-key.

“What he did in Portugal was pretty amazing, to take the club from, I think, on the brink of going to the third level to being sixth and in the top league in Portugal.

“So he's obviously got the nous to run the club properly and off the pitch, financially, effectively all the things that were the Reading way back in the day where, you know, we had to sell players occasionally to keep going and move forward rather than the panic fire sales that we've had recently.

“So, excited but cautious, and until it’s signed, sealed and delivered, and he’s in place, and Dai Yongge has gone and no longer has any involvement in a club, then I’ll 100 per cent believe it, but I'm quietly hopeful that it's going to happen.”

Platek’s experience will relax those at Reading

Whoever takes over at the Select Car Leasing Stadium is going to be met with a good deal of justified scepticism, following the disastrous ownership of Yongge.

He oversaw the club receive a six-point deduction in 2023, leading to the club dropping into the third tier, where they still remain, almost sold the club’s training ground to a division rival and withdrew Reading FC Women from the Championship, dropping them to the fifth tier.

Trust with owners is, therefore, at an all-time low. But Platek’s past experience of owning football clubs will at least provide comfort via a tangible track record.

As Johnny states, it hasn’t been perfect; he has previously owned SonderjyskE in Denmark, a stint that ended in relegation for the club, and his time owning Italian side Spezia — which he sold recently — was mixed.

But his other interests include Casa Pia in Portugal, a club he bought just after current Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim had left, steering them to the Primeira Liga for the first time in 83 years.

At the very least, it shows that Platek as an active investor who is trying to succeed with his football investments, in stark contrast to Yongge.