Reading FC should lure 14-goal forward back ahead of League One return: Opinion | OneFootball

Having just managed to weather the tides and stave off relegation for the last few seasons, Reading FC have finally suffered relegation to the third-tier for the first time in over 20 years.

While they had appeared to be undertaking an upwards trajectory during the initial stages of the season just gone, a nosedive in form coupled with, of course, the decisive six point deduction that was sanctioned in April, which saw them go down instead of 21st-placed Cardiff City with five points separating the two sides.

With mitigating problems on and off the pitch amid financial trouble following periods of overspending in order to return to the Premier League, Reading simply cannot afford to linger in the lesser-financed waters of the third tier and will need to do everything they can to get back to the Championship at the first time of asking, otherwise their issues will doubtlessly be amplified.

The squad requires major construction across the off-season, and the immediate overarching feeling is a sense of uncertainty regarding where the goals are going to come from.

As a consequence of their relegation, something of an exodus has occurred with numerous players moving on, although conducting a return to Berkshire for Sam Smith could prove a masterstroke.

Who has left Reading?

Scott Dann, Dejan Tetek, Luke Southwood and Liam Moore have all left the club, although the double departure of strikers Lucas Joao and Shane Long will add a sense of urgency to Reading's summer plans.

Junior Hoilett and Yakou Meite are said to be in discussions with the club regarding potential new deals after their expiries last month, and while the latter would no doubt find the back of the net with regularity next season, it is easy to see the Paris Saint-Germain export seeking pastures new, too.

Why should Reading pursue Sam Smith?

Having moved down south from the illustrious Manchester United academy in 2016, Smith turned out for the Royals on 11 occasions amid a series of loan spells elsewhere, which took him from Bishop's Stortford to Oxford United and Shrewsbury, and later Cambridge, Tranmere and Cheltenham.

It was at Cambridge where Smith enjoyed his best form away from Reading, notching eight goals in 34 outings in the 2019-20 season.

As fortunes would have it, it was also at Cambridge where Smith's career truly launched.

Having moved there on a permanent basis after his contract was up in 2021, the striker found the back of the net 15 times that campaign, before scoring a respectable 13 in the season just gone to help the U's achieve an unlikely survival.

The variety of his most recent goal tally makes for interesting Reading, too, as he headed in six goals while scoring four with his left foot and three with his right.

Smith did not renew terms at Cambridge, though, which appears firmly a player decision as opposed to a club one, and he is now a free agent after the expiration of his two-year deal.

This makes him an even more desirable prospect for Reading, who will likely find themselves operating a tight, constrained budget yet again while still needing to authorise enforcements that ensure they can compete for a top-six finish.

And, from Smith's perspective, he may just feel he has a point to prove, having seldom been licensed with an opportunity to audition his goalscoring talents in his first spell there.