"Inevitable that he will move on" - Pundit makes concerning Ruben Selles claim after Reading FC takeover collapse | OneFootball

Carlton Palmer has given his view on Ruben Selles' future at Reading after the collapse of their proposed takeover by Rob Couhig.

Pundit Carlton Palmer believes Reading could be vulnerable to losing manager Ruben Selles after the collapse of the proposed takeover by Rob Couhig.

Former Wycombe Wanderers owner Couhig had been in an exclusivity period with current Reading owner Dai Yongge over recent months, and it seemed as though the deal was nearing completion.

Couhig has attended a number of the Royals' games this season, and he has met Selles, the players and the club's staff, while the deal had even been given approval from the EFL.

However, a statement from Reading on Wednesday afternoon confirmed that the deal has fallen through after the two parties failed to reach an agreement, and all loans have now been paid back to Couhig.

It is a huge blow to Royals supporters who had hoped that Couhig's takeover would spell the end of Yongge's disastrous seven-year tenure, but while he is still looking to sell, he will remain at the helm for now, and the club's immediate future will be funded by the money received from the sell-on clause in the deal that saw Michael Olise join Bayern Munich from Crystal Palace this summer.

The latest takeover developments have led to concerns over the future of Selles, who has done an outstanding job since taking over at the Select Car Leasing Stadium last summer.

Despite the club suffering a six-point deduction, Selles guided Reading to a 17th-placed finish in League One last season, and they currently sit 12th in the table, just three points from the play-off places, after a decent start to the new campaign.

Carlton Palmer on Ruben Selles' Reading future

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer praised Selles for the job he has done at Reading, and he said it is inevitable the Spaniard will move on at some stage unless the ownership situation is resolved.

"It's definitely a problem for Reading with the collapse of the takeover," Palmer said.

"They sit mid-table, Ruben Selles has done a tremendous job, but it must be hard for him given that he's had to deal with points deductions, false promises, no transfer spend and he's had to let players go.

"I think it's going to be very difficult for Reading to hold on to Selles should another club come knocking.

"It's going to be another difficult season for them, you can only see further problems coming for them with late payments and points deductions with the present owner because he just hasn't got the funds to fund the football club.

"They don't come in on time and it creates a problem.

"If Selles continues to do the job that he's doing, then I think other clubs will come knocking for him and it's inevitable that he will move on.

"That's disappointing for Reading because if they got the right owners in and the right people in, Selles probably could and would get this team promoted out of the league."

It is difficult to disagree with Palmer that Reading are at risk of losing Selles if they do not find a new owner soon.

Selles has had to contend with incredibly difficult circumstances since taking over at the Select Car Leasing Stadium last summer, and many managers would have walked away by now, but the 41-year-old's loyalty and commitment has earned him the full respect of Royals supporters.

The former Southampton manager did an excellent job to keep Reading in League One last season, and despite being able to bring in just one new player this summer, his side have made a solid start to the new campaign.

Selles claimed last week that he was confident Couhig's takeover would be completed, and he revealed that he had a "good relationship" with the American businessman, so the fact it has fallen through will be particularly frustrating for him, and with little sign of an end to the Royals' off-field turmoil in sight, he may be tempted to move on if he was to receive an offer from elsewhere.