Football League World
·8 August 2022
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·8 August 2022
Reading were unable to complete a deal to recruit Swansea City centre-back Ryan Bennett because of their financial situation, according to an update from Wales Online.
This link was first reported by the same outlet back in June, with the 32-year-old surplus to requirements in South Wales after Russell Martin decided that the experienced defender didn’t fit into his jigsaw.
With this, he has been left out of both of their matchday squads this season, though a deal is yet to materialise for the Swans who face the prospect of having him at the Swansea.com Stadium until at least January.
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At that time, the Berkshire outfit were in need of more additions in central defence with Paul Ince opting to start the 2022/23 campaign with a back three and Liam Moore being ruled out of action with a serious injury, though it was unclear whether the Jamaican would have been in the former England international’s plans.
With Tom Holmes signing a new deal and Sam Hutchinson joining on a two-year contract, it looked as though the Berkshire outfit had completed their puzzle in central defence with Naby Sarr previously thought to be on the verge of joining.
Financial restrictions have held that deal up and it’s currently unclear whether it will go through now – but one player who certainly won’t be joining is Bennett with the Berkshire side’s business plan putting an end to any hopes of him making the switch to the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
At this stage, the Royals .
The Verdict:
This could have been a good addition for the Berkshire outfit who are still in need of another central defender if Sarr doesn’t come in, especially if they want to operate with a back three.
Even if they aren’t, Moore is out injured, Scott Dann has been injured for much of his time in Berkshire and Hutchinson doesn’t have the best injury record, so having another option would be ideal.
They are certainly a side that were in need of a shake-up at the back, not just in terms of the system but personnel as well and this is why another defender must come in.
However, the Royals can’t afford to pay over the odds on players and with just one loan spot left, they would need to recruit Bennett on a free transfer if they did make a move for him.
It remains to be seen whether the Swans would let him go for free – but if it allows them to recruit a free agent or a loanee with the extra space they will have on the wage bill – surely this is a deal they should be looking to negotiate.