Reading FC supporters will have mixed feelings about Bristol Rovers transfer agreement: View | OneFootball

Clinton Mola didn't always thrive at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, but many Royals fans will be sad to see him leave.

Reading released four senior players during the summer - and two have already found new clubs.

Nesta Guinness-Walker and Sam Hutchinson are yet to join new teams after being placed on the released list, but it only feels like a matter of time before the former makes a move to another EFL club.

Matty Carson, meanwhile, has made the switch to League Two side Grimsby Town.

He could be an excellent addition there. His defensive skills need to be worked on, but the young full-back has great attributes and could be a real success for the Mariners.

Fellow left-back Clinton Mola recently made the move to the Royals' League One rivals Bristol Rovers, who have moved quickly to get a deal over the line for the former England youth international.

The player had been offered a new contract, but he turned it down and decided to make the move to the Memorial Stadium instead.

Under Matt Taylor, Rovers will be hoping to start next season much better than they finished it, with their form towards the latter stages of last term causing concern.

Rovers do have stability behind the scenes though, which is more than can be said for the Berkshire side, who are yet to get a takeover deal over the line despite entering a period of exclusivity with a potential buyer back in March.

With this in mind, some fans would say he has made the right decision to move on.

Clinton Mola had highs and lows at Reading

Mola endured a fairly mixed time at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, joining the club after the season had started.

The fact he didn't have a pre-season with the Royals didn't benefit him, with the full-back looking out of his depth during the early stages of his time in Berkshire.

There are a few other memorable moments that he will want to forget.

Conceding a penalty late on against Wycombe Wanderers back in March, that lost the Royals what would have been a deserved point.

He also slipped later on in that month against Cambridge United, but thankfully for him, that fall went unpunished thanks to Joel Pereira.

To Ruben Selles' credit, he kept giving Mola opportunities and the defender was much better during the second half of the season, even though his penalty concession against the Chairboys could have been costly.

Reading FC fans will miss Clinton Mola

With the Royals now tying Kelvin Abrefa down to a new contract, they have slightly more depth at full-back.

However, Mola, who can play on both sides, could have been an excellent option to have next season.

Jeriel Dorsett performed admirably at left-back last term, but it's clear that he's a central defender and it would have been good to have Mola as a natural wide option.

The latter showed real promise offensively during the final few months of the 2023/24 campaign, moving into the middle at times to cause problems and also causing issues out wide.

His statistics from last term don't really show how much of an asset he was going forward - and they also don't show how much he improved.

Because he improved so much and was part of a very likeable team, many fans would have wanted to see him stay put.

The fact he has made a move to a club in the same division also makes his departure slightly more painful.

There's no doubt he can be replaced, but in the Royals' current situation with a takeover yet to materialise, he could have been a very good player to have in the team.