Tom Ince from Stoke to Reading FC: Is it a good move? Will he start? What does he offer? | OneFootball

29-year-old Moore was in desperate need of a move after being stripped of the captaincy by the Royals in the early stages of last month, a decision that was taken by manager Veljko Paunovic after expressing his wish to depart Berkshire and find another club.

With this humiliating public statement published and some fans turning against the Jamaican international, he finally secured a much-needed move to the bet365 Stadium on Monday evening as he looks to help the Potters in their quest to finish in the top six.

Quiz: Did any of these 25 ex-Reading FC players ever get a red card during their time at the club?

1 of 25

1) Chris Gunter

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Meanwhile, previous £10m signing Ince arrives at the Berkshire club as they look to beat the likes of Derby County and Peterborough United to survival amid a torrid run of form, with the club’s January period particularly turbulent both on and off the pitch.

They were only able to complete two signings with Arsenal shot-stopper Karl Hein and 30-year-old Ince making the move to the Select Car Leasing Stadium – and the latter will be hoping to continue the great vein of form he’s been in recently.

Looking deeper into this move though, we assess three key questions that need to be answered after seeing the former England youth international seal his move.

Is it a good move?

This is a slightly strange move from the Royals considering a central defender, orthodox full-back and striker were perhaps higher priorities on their transfer agenda.

Andy Carroll and George Puscas’ moves away from the club leaves them very short on established options up top, with Lucas Joao only being joined by younger players in Nahum Melvin-Lambert, Jahmari Clarke and Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan as potential candidates to start, although Junior Hoilett can also do a job as a centre forward.

Nonetheless, it does feel as though the Berkshire outfit need more wing options to be a considerable threat out wide – and in Ince – they have someone who can hug the touchline and swing in deliveries.

And on a loan deal, this is a deal the club have been able to do within tight financial restrictions, so to bring in a man with plenty of Championship experience under his belt can only be a plus.

His contract at Stoke also runs out at the end of the campaign and with Michael O’Neill’s men unlikely to renew his contract, this is a potential deal Paunovic’s men could potentially pursue on a longer-term basis in the summer.

Will he start?

Whether he does start could be dependent on injuries – because in an ideal world – Paunovic would probably play Ovie Ejaria, John Swift and Yakou Meite in behind Lucas Joao.

That would leave no room for Ince at this stage with Junior Hoilett, Alen Halilovic and Tom Dele-Bashiru also able to play in the advanced midfield three.

But with Ejaria still working his way back to full fitness after coming on against Queens Park Rangers last weekend, Meite needing to be eased back in slowly following his anterior crucial ligament (ACL) injury and Halilovic also unavailable, there’s a chance he may start against Bristol City in the Royals’ next fixture next week.

Ejaria could start at Ashton Gate though, so a battle between the Stoke man and Hoilett could be on the horizon. It remains to be seen whether he’s a long-term starter though – because without injuries – they have plenty of options on the wing.

The system Paunovic plays may also have a bearing on whether the 30-year-old starts – because he has already shown at the bet365 Stadium that he can operate as a wing-back so if one of Baba Rahman or Andy Yiadom sustain an injury – he could be a potential option in the backline.

What does he offer?

As touched upon in the previous sentence, he can offer the Royals versatility at a time when they really need it, especially with some of the injuries they have had to deal with during the 2021/22 campaign thus far.

Paunovic’s men are currently severely lacking in depth at full-back, so the arrival of Ince could provide the Serbian with a different option if one of Ghanaian duo Rahman or Yiadom sustain an injury.

The latter two were missing for large stages of last month due to their participation in the African Cup of Nations – and although youngsters Ethan Bristow, Tyrell Ashcroft and Dejan Tetek gave it their best – it was clear they needed their more experienced men back from Cameroon.

But as a winger, he could be a direct threat to second-tier full-backs if he can rediscover his mojo and turn of pace. He may not be the wide man he was at Blackpool – but he’s certainly got enough in his locker to provide the current strugglers with a different dimension going forward.

This can only be a good thing in their quest to compensate for Puscas’ departure.