‘Something Wasn’t Quite Right’ – Reading Boss On Star’s Charlton Move Collapsing | OneFootball

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Reading manager Noel Hunt has confirmed that Harvey Knibbs’ move to Championship outfit Charlton Athletic is off and is keen to make sure he is now in the right mental state.

The 26-year-old attacking midfielder is a product of the Aston Villa academy system and he joined Reading in the summer of 2023.

Knibbs had an excellent season with the Royals in the last campaign, where he netted 14 goals while assisting six times in his 43 League One appearances.

He has caught the attention of Nathan Jones, who is preparing a Charlton squad that will be able to face challenges in the Championship following promotion.

Charlton managed to agree to a deal in the region of £1.8m to secure the signature of Knibbs from Reading, but the completion of the move was delayed.

And now Reading boss Hunt has revealed that a transfer to the Addicks is off the cards for Knibbs and added that he hopes that the midfielder is mentally well after a move to a big club like Charlton failed to transpire.

However, he admitted that the exact reason for the transfer not happening is not clear to him and added that something may have been wrong with the personal terms side.

When talking about Knibbs’s transfer, Hunt told Reading’s in-house media: “Whatever happened I’m not too sure.

“I’ll speak to Harvey about that this morning. Obviously there was something that wasn’t quite right from Harvey’s side or whatever.

“Number one he is still our player and [I’ll] make sure he is okay.

“Obviously moves to bigger clubs are really important for a player, progression, and these things happen all the time.

“It’s a tough one for him but we’re just hoping he’s okay mentally first and foremost.”

Charlton were not the only Championship club after Knibbs’ signature as Portsmouth and Sheffield United were keen on him.

Now with his move to Charlton being off, Portsmouth and Sheffield United could look to steal in and do a deal, although Hunt will want to keep Knibbs.