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Zane Monlouis wasn't a success at the Select Car Leasing Stadium - and the Royals need to avoid a repeat of that this summer.

League One side Reading FC endured a very turbulent January transfer window earlier this year.

The Royals saw some important players depart the Select Car Leasing Stadium, with Nelson Abbey and Tom Holmes sealing moves to Nottingham Forest and Luton Town.

Holmes was loaned back, giving the Berkshire side an extra option in central defence, but Tom McIntyre's switch to Portsmouth left them with very few players in that area.

Promising youngsters Caylan Vickers and Taylan Harris also departed, but their centre-back department was the biggest concern for some supporters.

With this in mind, it was a boost when it was announced that Zane Monlouis had joined on loan from Arsenal until the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Zane Monlouis' spell at Reading

Before Monlouis' move to the SCL Stadium, he hadn't made his senior debut for the Gunners, but had been a key part of their U23 side and looked set to be a decent addition at the back.

With the Royals' January departures and Harlee Dean failing to impress, despite his experience, Monlouis looked set to play a reasonably important part for the Berkshire outfit in their quest to remain in League One beyond the end of the 2023/24 season.

Aside from Dean, Holmes, Amadou Mbengue and Tyler Bindon were the Royals' other options at the back, with Jeriel Dorsett and Clinton Mola needed at full-back.

But with Dean not living up to expectations and Holmes spending a decent chunk of the second half of the campaign out injured, this should have been a good opportunity for Monlouis to impress.

But Bindon and Mbengue formed an excellent partnership - and Monlouis' only senior appearance for the Berkshire side came away at Fleetwood Town in mid-February.

Coming on as a substitute when the Royals were hanging on to a 1-0 lead, this wasn't the ideal time for Monlouis to make his debut, with the defender coming on at full-back.

Charlie Adam's side pushed hard for a winner late on and with conditions not exactly ideal either, the young Gunner struggled massively, with Brendan Wiredu scoring a 95th-minute equaliser for the hosts.

The 20-year-old wasn't seen again after that. Even after the Royals had secured survival, he wasn't given a chance by Ruben Selles to thrive.

With the player only managing to get one appearance under his belt, only making a cameo in that game and failing to make a good impression, the defender's temporary spell at the SCL Stadium was nothing short of a disaster.

With the takeover situation dragging on, many of the Royals' free agent options are likely to have been snapped up by now.

The club remains under an embargo and with this in mind, it wouldn't be a surprise to see them utilise the loan market quite heavily in the coming weeks, if they can get a takeover deal over the line imminently.

There are areas that need to be strengthened, including the centre-back, left-back, wing and striker departments.

Free agents could potentially come in, but the loan market may be a better bet for higher-quality options.

If they are to profit from loanees, both in the short term and the long term, they need to build good relationships with clubs and they can do that by giving loan players a sufficient amount of game time to shine.

Whether Monlouis' unsuccessful spell at the SCL Stadium has damaged the Royals' relationship with the Gunners remains to be seen, but the former need to bring in loan players who can be valuable contributors during the 2024/25 campaign.

How successful these potential loanees are could decide how well the Berkshire side does during the upcoming season.