Reading FC should target Sunderland AFC man - it's not Jewison Bennette | OneFootball

The Royals and the Black Cats could both benefit from a loan deal involving Joe Anderson in January.

Reading have already been linked with a Sunderland player this year, with Jewison Bennette thought to have been in contention to make a move to the Select Car Leasing Stadium back in the summer.

Bennette, 20, has struggled for game time during his spell at the Stadium of Light. And at the time of writing, he has made just one senior appearance this season, with that display coming in the EFL Cup.

The Black Cats will surely be looking to offload the Costa Rican in one form or another when the next window opens, potentially to make space for some additions, with Regis Le Bris keen to be active in the transfer market next month.

Berkshire could still be a good destination for the winger when the January window opens.

It's unclear whether Wolves loanee Chem Campbell will be with the Royals beyond the January window, with his loan only lasting until next month and the player impressing at times during the first half of this season.

On top of this, the Royals don't have that many senior options out wide, with Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan currently out injured at the moment.

This makes the wing area one they should look to strengthen - and it will be interesting to see whether the League One side are able to sign anyone in January - with the club still not sold at this stage.

Considering the situation the Royals are in, the best they can probably hope for is four or five loan deals, with the parent clubs paying at least a sizable chunk of their wages.

And there are plenty of areas that need to be strengthened when the January window opens, if they are able to recruit any new first-teamers.

They can probably afford not to add a goalkeeper to their squad, but they need a left-back, a centre-back and potentially a right-back, depending on Kelvin Abrefa and Andy Yiadom's fitness.

As mentioned above, the wing area needs to be looked at, and so does the striker department.

That's even without considering potential departures, so there's plenty for the Royals to do in the transfer market if they can get a takeover done or work out an agreement with the EFL to get some additions over the line.

Joe Anderson should be on Reading FC's radar

Joe Anderson is another player, along with Bennette, who hasn't won much game time during the 2024/25 campaign.

He has only made one senior appearance this season and with this in mind, Le Bris will surely be open to letting him leave in some form when next month's window opens.

Anderson spent last season on loan at Shrewsbury Town, and although his game time was limited at points, he received some fairly decent reviews from some of the Shropshire outfit's fans on social media.

He could potentially be a good option for a team playing out from the back - and judging by his first few games in charge - Noel Hunt is open to playing this way,

The good thing about the 23-year-old is the fact he can play in central defence and at left-back, two areas the Royals need to address during the upcoming window.

Jeriel Dorsett has spent a decent chunk of the season out injured and even though Andre Garcia can play at left-back, he's still inexperienced and needs to work on his defensive game.

Dorsett's injury reinforces the need for depth to be added on the left side.

The centre-back area also needs to be looked at because of their lack of depth there. Louie Holzman may be able to step in, but more quality in this area could have a big say on where they finish at the end of the season.

Uncertainty over Tyler Bindon's future makes it particularly important that this area is looked at.

Anderson won't be guaranteed to start every game, but if he performs well enough in training, he will be involved regularly and be part of a side fighting against adversity, amid major off-field issues.