3 things Rob Couhig must sort at Reading FC immediately once £25m takeover goes through | OneFootball

3 pressing issues Rob Couhig must sort out immediately if his proposed takeover of Reading FC is successful.

Reports suggest that Rob Couhig is finally set to get his hands on Reading FC, following a failed takeover attempted last year.

The ex-Wycombe Wanderers chief emerged as a surprise bidder for the club last summer, just a couple of months after trying to buy their Bearwood Park training ground for his former club. After visiting the Select Car Leasing Stadium, the deal collapsed, which led to Couhig suing current owner Dai Yongge.

Following months of back and forth between the two parties, and with a third party joining the mix, Couhig is reportedly set to seal his £25m takeover of Reading, as he faces a race against time to get the deal over the line.

This is excellent news for Royals supporters, who are already daring to dream of promotion to the Championship despite the tomfoolery of their current owner. The 75-year-old is a proven EFL owner, bringing five years of success and stability to Wycombe during his time there. This makes him exactly what Reading need in the immediate future.

With the takeover hopefully on the horizon, we looked at three crucial things Couhig must do once his £25m takeover of the Berkshire side is a done deal.

1 Appoint a skilled CEO to help run the club

One key aspect of any takeover is the other board members who join the club alongside the new owner. At Wycombe, Couhig brought in his wife Missy, and nephew Pete as members of the board.

It's unlikely both will join him at Reading, as former left-back and someone the American knows very well from his time in Buckinghamshire, Joe Jacobson, was touted for the CEO role last summer when the takeover news first emerged.

The Welshman retired from football in 2024, having spent ten years at Adams Park and establishing himself as a legend. He emerged as a surprise candidate for the role last summer, but has since been making punditry appearances following the collapse of the deal.

Jacobson has studied the business side of the game, and may be in line once again to take up the role as CEO at the Select Car Leasing Stadium. This could be a key appointment for Reading, as the former defender has been there and done that in League One.

Despite everything going on off the pitch, the Royals have been able to mold together a quality squad which is just a couple of additions away from being an automatic promotion contender.

There were fears that the club would be picked apart in January, but the losses of Tyler Bindon and Sam Smith did give the club some much-needed cash.

Heading into the summer window, Couhig will be keen to lock down some of the stars of the show to new contracts. The togetherness and fighting spirit has been a key on the club's success off the pitch this season, so keeping that will be crucial.

Out-of-contract players such as Amadou Mbengue, Joel Pereria, and Michael Craig must be offered new contracts to extend their stays further than the summer, and Couhig will be eager to sort this out quickly.

Whilst it's easy to look at the financial issues Couhig must solve, this is arguably the most important issue that needs to be addressed. Yongge has completely alienated the ownership and the fanbase with communication hard to come by.

The 'Sell before we Dai' group have acted as a voice to try and get the Chinese businessman out of the club, but no supporters would ever think they'd have to create protest groups to put pressure on someone who was entrusted with the upkeep of their club.

During the whole takeover fiasco, Couhig has gone from zero, to hero, to zero, and now back to hero again. Many supporters have been left perplexed as to what his intentions with the club are, so it's key he outlines them right from the off.

After years of hurt between the supporters and the owners of Reading, the 75-year-old must help rebuild those bridges that Yongge burned down during his time at the club. If his stint at Wycombe is anything to go by, he won't have a problem doing so.