"It's got to be done" Exclusive: Sky Sports pundit issues clear Dai Yongge message at Reading FC | OneFootball

David Prutton spoke exclusively to Football League World about Dai Yongge's ownership of League One side Reading

Sky Sports pundit and EFL expert David Prutton has urged Dai Yongge to finally cut his losses and sanction a sale for League One side Reading, who have endured years of well-documented financial turmoil under the Chinese businessman's ownership.

Yongge first purchased the club back in May 2017 ahead of Reading's play-off final defeat to Huddersfield Town. It was hoped that Reading would return to the Premier League with his investment, but the promotion dream faded as cracks began to emerge in the Yongge regime.

The problems at the Select Car Leasing Stadium in recent years know no end, and Reading were relegated from the Championship in 2023 after suffering a six-point deduction for breaching profitability and sustainability rules.

Both in the Championship and League One, the Royals have been hamstrung by a series of points deductions and continue to be owned by Yongge despite being up for sale for more than 500 days. A number of prospective owners have looked to purchase the club to no avail, including Rob Couhig last summer - a deal which fell through after a "breakdown in negotiations".

Noel Hunt's side have often been unable to sign or retain players due to the financial situation in Berkshire, and that remains a concern heading into the 2025/26 campaign where, as it stands, just five first-team players in Ben Elliott, Lewis Wing, Harvey Knibbs, Kelvin Abrefa and Charlie Savage will be under contract.

Such uncertainty only amplifies the feeling surrounding the Yongge regime, which supporters have spent the last few years admirably protesting against.

David Prutton urges Dai Yongge to sell Reading FC

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Prutton explained how the sale of Reading from Yongge's hands is "absolutely imperative".

Getting out of English football's third-tier is the aim on the pitch, but beneath that, there have been long-term concerns over whether Reading could cease to exist entirely under Yongge's ownership and it's an untenable situation for all parties.

"Reading will only have five players contracted at the start of next season as it stands. My word, that's a very bleak landscape at the moment, isn't it?" Prutton told FLW.

"Even in contrast with how they're doing in the division, just a couple of points outside of the top-six. Noel Hunt, kudos to him for broadly keeping that sort of consistency going over the course of the season.

"It's crucial that a takeover goes through. We're now on the fifth iteration of somebody potentially taking over, I'm sure the fans are sick to their back teeth of it.

"Knowing what it's like to be at a football club when it's uncertain, I was at Leeds when there were all sorts of problems. Turning up at a club where there were players contracted, players turning up on trial - I was one of those - they would come in on pre-season for training and you would never see them again.

"You would have players like myself who signed on and weren't getting paid for two, three or four weeks until takeovers were ratified and people came in of real substance and solidarity from a financial point of view.

"So it will be unsettling times, not just the playing squad but everybody involved, including the fans given what we've seen from this club under this ownership.

"They've really been through the mill.

"It's imperative, isn't it? Dai Yongge doesn't seem to want to be there, there doesn't seem to be any sort of correlation or communication between himself and the fans and the management.

"That's essentially what Ruben Selles was saying towards the end of his tenure. It's absolutely imperative, because if you want a positive way to move forward or lurch into another season, between now and that first kick of the ball, it's got to be done."

Reading FC have performed well in 24/25 despite Dai Yongge turmoil

Reading's players and coaching staff deserve immense credit for how they have handled the last two seasons despite the backdrop of turmoil away from the pitch, which is, of course, well out of their control. The Royals finished 17th in League One under Ruben Selles last term but have kicked on this time around, even after the popular Spaniard's departure to Hull City in December.

Though Reading have only been able to sign two players this season in Chem Campbell and Billy Bodin, they remain in the League One promotion reckoning with just nine games to spare and that is admirable considering what they are up against off the field and the budgets of some of their third-tier rivals such as Wrexham and Huddersfield Town, both of whom are currently in play-off positions.

Indeed, Reading currently find themselves in eighth place, just two points shy of Huddersfield in sixth.

Promotion could be a huge ask for the Berkshire outfit this term but the nucleus of their squad is young, exciting and only poised to get better and better - and that's just one reason why they will be desperate to come under new ownership before long and retain their prized assets to kick on and enjoy a fresh start.