Reading FC urged to fend off Harvey Knibbs transfer exit threat | OneFootball

FLW's Reading fan pundit knows how important it is that Harvey Knibbs remains at the club past Monday's transfer deadline

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…

There’s an air of excitement at the Select Car Leasing Stadium this season, as Reading head into the first season under their new ownership.

The transfer window has been uncharacteristically calm, as the Royals haven’t been forced to undergo a mass fire sale of players with added uncertainty over who they can and can’t bring in.

And despite losing key men such as Amadou Mbengue and Michael Craig, and with Tyler Bindon also returning to Nottingham Forest, the summer transfer window so far has been one that Reading fans can be happy with.

Not only for the signing of Paudie O’Connor and the loan arrivals of the likes of Finley Burns and Matty Jacob, but also for who they have been able to retain.

Key men such as goalkeeper Joel Pereria and midfielder Lewis Wing signed new three-year deals this summer, and now the focus is on keeping top scorer Harvey Knibbs around.

That’s the view of FLW’s Reading fan pundit, Johnny Hunt, at least. But he does believe that there shouldn’t be any real worry in doing so.

Harvey Knibbs netted in the double digits once more in 2024/25, scoring a career-best 14 as Reading fought the top-six battle to the final day.

Hunt told Football League World that now Joel Pereira and Lewis Wing have signed new contracts at the club, “the question mark is now on someone like Harvey Knibbs.”

But Hunt was bold in his predictions of whether the attacking midfielder would leave before the September 1st transfer deadline.

“We don’t want to sell him, we don’t need to sell him, and I’m sure he wants to stay,” he said.

“He’s a big part of the project at the club and is a big part of why the team works so well. There’s just so much he offers to the team.

“So Harvey Knibbs is the player, for me, who we can’t afford to sell before the deadline.”

Last season, under both Ruben Selles and Noel Hunt, the midfield three of Harvey Knibbs, Lewis Wing, and Charlie Savage were one of the best middle trios in League One. Together, they combined for 28 of Reading’s 68 goals and provided 21 assists.

“He can play at a higher level, definitely, but in this team, and the way he sets up alongside Wing and Savage, he’s got a big role to play and scores a lot of goals from midfield.

“He’s a decent guy as well, so let's hope we keep hold of him.”

Harvey Knibbs still has one year left on his current Reading contract, which he signed in the summer of 2023, so Reading should be in no rush to extend Knibbs, unlike with Wing.

The 26-year-old is under no real transfer speculation this summer, despite attracting Championship sides this past January, and there hasn’t been any indication that he wants to leave.

The worry would come, however, if Knibbs continued his incredible goalscoring form next season for Reading and the Royals didn’t go up, because then he’d be free to walk away to a Championship side for 2026/27 for absolutely nothing.

So, currently, there’s no real rush for Reading to tie Knibbs down to a new deal just yet. But they may still want to cover themselves, as they did with Wing earlier in the summer, to avoid losing one of their best players for free this time next year.