Reading FC must avoid triple transfer exit - Noel Hunt can win promotion if it's prevented | OneFootball

This trio could form the base of a promotion contender next season

Despite all the noise going on off-field, Reading FC came within inches of finishing in the League One play-offs this season.

It was a remarkable achievement, with the Royals being forced to field multiple young, inexperienced players alongside losing Ruben Selles halfway through the campaign.

And, despite losing out on the final day due to a 4-2 home defeat to Barnsley, May 3rd was ultimately a day of rejoicing for Reading, as the news surrounding the agreement to sell the club to Rob Couhig was announced before kick off, a sale which was confirmed a week and a half later.

Reading finally have a foundation to build on ahead of next season and, with the ability to build an even more competitive squad, many will have them tipped to go one better and finish in the top six.

However, with Tyler Bindon already touted for a loan move to the Championship after Nottingham Forest purchased him in January before loaning him back, that's already one key name who will be leaving the Select Car Leasing Stadium this summer.

Therefore, the new ownership at Reading needs to make sure that the trio of Joel Pereira, Harvey Knibbs and Lewis Wing don't follow suit.

Keeping core will be vital for Reading next season

It goes without saying that every team in the lower leagues will face battles to retain key players from bidders in better positions, and this will most definitely ring true for Reading this coming summer.

Alongside the uncertainty surrounding the club being sold, manager Ruben Selles and star striker Sam Smith both departed in the winter, and yet the club under Noel Hunt still managed to finish three points behind the play-offs.

Tyler Bindon will not return to Reading next season, with the 20-year-old New Zealand international set to apply his trade in the Championship after being touted as one of the best centre halves in the third tier this season.

Royals fans will be desperate for him to be the only key departure, and for the likes of Lewis Wing, who played every league minute this season, Harvey Knibbs, who wound up the club's top scorer in all competitions and Joel Periera, who kept 13 clean sheets in 40 league games, to remain at the Select Car Leasing Stadium for 2025/26.

Not only do the trio represent three of the most consistent appearance-makers at Reading this season, but they have also been relied on a lot this season to provide experience, despite all being in their 20s.

The average age of Reading's starting eleven this season was 24.5, with the club giving league minutes to 13 separate players currently aged 21 or under throughout the campaign.

However, they have thrived in this unorthodox role, and Noel Hunt will be looking at the trio to form the core around which he will build his side this coming summer.

Reading have had to sell a lot more than they have been able to buy recently, but now the club is in the hands of Rob Couhig, you'd expect that the Royals may actually be able to buy their own players this summer, rather than rely on loans.

If they can, though, Noel Hunt needs to ensure that whoever comes in is a true upgrade, rather than someone being bought for the sake of it. After a season where Reading's academy has shone at times, the Royals boss has shown that the kids definitely are all right to take on another season in League One.

However, to maintain that momentum, he'll need to make sure that his current set of experienced players stay on. Arguably, that is more important than any player signing this coming summer.