Reading FC transfer involving Coventry City was a nightmare from start to finish: View | OneFootball

Reading were in a difficult situation back in the summer of 2018.

Their high spending during the previous summer didn't work out and they narrowly avoided relegation at the end of the 2017/18 campaign, so it was clear that big changes were needed to get the Berkshire outfit back on track.

However, because of the strength of their squad, there were still high expectations of them and they needed to enjoy a much better summer window in 2018 to give themselves a real chance of being successful during the 2018/19 season.

And they made a good start to the window, with the in-demand Andy Yiadom joining on a free transfer and the experienced David Meyer and John O'Shea also arriving at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

Marc McNulty, Darren Sidoel, Sam Walker and Sam Baldock were the other permanent additions, with Josh Sims and Saeid Ezatolahi joining on loan.

Yiadom is still at the club and is captain - but most of these signings didn't work out.

Meyler didn't feature enough, O'Shea clearly wasn't able to play for much longer by the time he joined the Royals, Sideol didn't play, Walker barely featured, Sims didn't make enough of an impact, Ezatolahi was injured for most of his stay and Baldock didn't provide value for money.

McNulty's time in Berkshire proved to be a disaster too.

Joining from Coventry City after he played a huge part in guiding them to League Two promotion, registering 28 goals and 11 assists in 52 competitive appearances during the 2017/18 campaign, he looked set to be an excellent addition.

This signing could have been seen as a gamble considering he had to make two steps up the football pyramid, but it wouldn't have been a surprise if he had thrived at the SCL Stadium.

Unfortunately, this move didn't work out at all and he made just 17 appearances in all competitions for the club during his four-year spell in Berkshire, a very poor record.

He made the vast majority of his appearances for the club during the first half of the 2018/19 season.

Missing a late penalty at Leeds United to prevent the Royals from picking up a point at Elland Road in November 2018, he responded with a goal in his next game against Stoke City.

But that's as good as it got for the Scotsman, who wasn't given a chance by Jose Gomes, Mark Bowen or Veljko Paunovic to shine.

He was even part of a group of players who were frozen out of the first team by Gomes - and it's clear that his move to the Royals had a detrimental impact on his career.

The striker may have represented the likes of Hibernian and Sunderland during his time in Berkshire. But since the end of his contract at Reading, he spent a brief period at US-based side Orange County before moving back to his current club, The Spartans.

They currently play in the fourth tier of Scottish football and at just 31, the forward will be extremely disappointed that he isn't competing at a higher level.

Marc McNulty had plenty to say about his time at Reading FC

The one thing that summed up his time in Berkshire were his comments when he was still a Reading player.

He was out on loan at the time but was still a Royal, although that didn't stop him from heavily criticising the current League One outfit.

Speaking to the Scottish Daily Express, he said: "My contract is finally up in the summer so who knows what will happen. But it’s a relief to be the one in charge of my future now.

"You can look at it two ways, there’s the stress of being out of contract and not having a club.

"I might end up working as a cleaner here at St Andrews, you don’t know!

"But for me, with all the sh** I have seen there over the years I’m just glad it’s going to be over and I don’t have to go back down there.

"I would probably be happy to be unemployed than go through that sh**e again. I have talked about it before and at some point I will come out and say exactly what’s gone on."