Reading FC have struck transfer gold - Brighton and Hove Albion may not like it though | OneFootball

Jack Marriott has scored four goals in four starts which has left Mark O'Mahoney warming the bench

Reading FC may have struck transfer gold with Jack Marriott, but it could cause some concern at Brighton & Hove Albion as their loanee Mark O'Mahoney finds himself warming the Royals' bench.

The numbers tell a huge story of just how transformative Marriott's arrival has been for Reading - the 31-year-old striker has found the net in each of his last four starts.

His 72nd minute equaliser against Stockport County on Saturday demonstrated the kind of clinical finishing that has quickly endeared him to the Royals faithful.

Noel Hunt "really happy" to have Jack Marriott at Reading FC

Reading manager Noel Hunt has been full of praise for the former Derby County striker, describing him as "brilliant" and highlighting his overall contribution beyond just goals.

Then, speaking after the Stockport draw, Hunt also mentioned how the club "are really happy to have him" even though "Jack has only been in the door a couple of weeks".

After failing to score 10 plus league goals for a single club since 2018/19 — when he was in the Championship with Derby — Marriott may have finally found his rhythm again in Berkshire.

The Rams signed the then-23-year-old for a fee of up to £5m after he scored 27 goals in League One for Peterborough United, so it's fair to say Royals fans would be in dreamland if Marriott was to get close to that tally this season.

Mark O'Mahoney's challenging loan spell at Reading FC continues while Jack Marriott thrives

While Marriott flourishes, the situation has become increasingly difficult for Mark O'Mahoney, Brighton's promising 20-year-old striker who arrived at Reading on a season-long loan deal in July.

The Irish U21 international scored three goals in 13 appearances on loan at Portsmouth in the Championship last season, so was perhaps expected to be the focal point of Reading's attack - given he signed over one month before Marriott.

Yet, compared to Marriott's four goals in four starts, O'Mahoney has failed to find the net in ten appearances across all competitions. Seven of those games have been in the league, where he's played 117 more minutes than Marriott.

O'Mahoney has started the last two league games on the bench, and if that continues, then it's likely to start causing some unease at Brighton where his development obviously remains a priority.

Brighton could become concerned over Mark O'Mahoney's playing time at Reading FC

The Premier League club would've sanctioned the loan move specifically to provide the young striker with regular first-team football away from the Amex Stadium.

Royals' CEO Joe Jacobson told the club's official website upon the youngster's signing: "Mark is someone who has been highly sought after in this transfer window.

"He's very highly thought of at Brighton, and we'd like to place on record our thanks to them for entrusting us to offer him game time and provide further development," Jacobson added.

However, with Marriott's exceptional form making him virtually undroppable, O'Mahoney's opportunities for meaningful game time are seemingly becoming limited.

There's no denying that squad depth and competition for places is extremely important, but the longer-term implications of O'Mahoney's reduced role remain to be seen.

Although few could've predicted the impact Marriott has had so far, you'd expect Brighton to be monitoring the situation closely - especially given Hunt described his Irish teammate as "a young hungry striker who wants to come in and develop at our club".