Rob Couhig tipped for potential Reading FC exit - 'money talks' | OneFootball

FLW's Reading fan pundit has given his reaction to Rob Couhig's latest comments regarding his long-term ownership plans

Rob Couhig completed his takeover of Reading last year after a protracted saga surrounding the ownership.

The Royals were on the verge of going into administration under the previous owner Dai Yongge, who proved a very unpopular figure among supporters.

The American previously owned Wycombe Wanderers, but he is now in charge of the Berkshire outfit, who are seeking a return to the Championship.

Leam Richardson’s side are in the mix for a play-off place with around a dozen games remaining in the League One campaign.

Reading were relegated in 2023, when a six point deduction penalty given to them by the EFL proved the difference between staying up and going down.

The club missed out on a top six finish last year, coming sixth and only three points behind Leyton Orient in sixth.

Rob Couhig’s long-term plans for Reading

Couhig admitted earlier this week that he doesn’t see himself running the club in 10 years time following a hip injury.

The 76-year-old has given a timeline of potentially five more years in charge of the Royals, as he sets his sights on building the team back up after their disastrous spell under Yongge.

When asked about Couhig’s recent comments about the owner, including that he’s also had interest from possible buyers, FLW’s Reading fan pundit Johnny Hunt claimed that he doesn’t expect him to be around for the long haul.

He believes that the American will look to make money from the sale of the Berkshire outfit, but that he will probably stay for another couple of years unless a stupid offer comes in.

“I certainly don’t think he’s going to be around for the long haul,” Hunt told Football League World.

“I think he’ll look to make money and then sell on at some stage, whether that’s a year, two years, three years.

“Certainly the club is in a much better state thanks to his input, from where we were with Dai Yongge, and he looked to make a profit, as much as he could, if he was going to sell the club.

“There was a lot of interest in the club when Dai Yongge was selling up, and there’d be again if Rob sells as well.

“[It’s] a top 10 team, great academy, great facilities, a good team, players that are sellable money-wise, if that was the case for people looking in.

“He’d have to be careful, [you don’t want] another owner coming in just going back to the bad old days of throwing cash at it.

“But that’s all ifs and buts and maybes.

“I certainly would think he will be around for the next couple of years, but money talks.

“If a stupid offer comes in, and he would get a lot of money out of it, then he’s a business man at the end of the day and we’ll see what happens.”

Couhig will be hoping that Reading can earn a play-off place this season, with the team in their third year in League One.

Richardson’s side are two points adrift of the top six with 12 games to go, one more than most of their rivals.

The Royals are eighth, behind Huddersfield Town and Couhig’s old club Wycombe in the battle for a chance at promotion.

Richardson has been in charge since October, and he has seen an impressive turnaround in form after a poor start to the campaign under Noel Hunt.

The team are unbeaten in their last five league games, and they will be hoping to extend that run when they travel to face Luton Town on Saturday in a 3pm kick-off.

Rob Couhig could never be in Reading for the long haul

Couhig is now 76-years-old, so it was never likely that he bought Reading with the view of owning it for an extremely long time.

But he has brought much-needed stability to the club, and the team is now in a strong position whereby it can compete for promotion.

Even if they miss out on a top six finish this season, you’d expect the Royals to be back in the mix again next year, so there is a promising base being built under this new ownership.

Supporters are now always going to be wary of a new owner coming in because they were burned so badly by Yongge’s time in charge, but there is a very real possibility that Couhig will be gone again in the next five or six years, especially if promotion to the Championship increases the club’s value.