Reading FC will have to solve key issue if they reignite Coventry City player interest | OneFootball

The Royals should consider reigniting their interest in Fabio Tavares, but they would need to solve an issue if they sign him.

Reading striker Jayden Wareham stepped up to the plate against Exeter City on Tuesday evening, proving his doubters wrong.

Wareham, 21, scored within the first minute against the Grecians, using his strength to hold off a defender before firing the ball into the bottom-left corner.

Without Sam Smith in the starting lineup, some fans questioned whether the Royals would be able to get themselves on the scoresheet at St James' Park, but they were 2-0 up at half-time and secured a 2-1 victory in the end.

With Wareham performing well in Devon and Smith scoring at a decent rate this season, it could be argued that their striker department isn't a top priority to be addressed during the January transfer window, if a takeover can be completed.

After all, there are other areas that need to be addressed, with their full-back area in desperate need of an extra option on both sides if either Kelvin Abrefa or Andy Yiadom remain out of action beyond the end of the January window.

The left-back area is one that definitely needs to be looked at, with 16-year-old Andre Garcia currently filling in for Jeriel Dorsett, and both of them aren't natural options in this position.

Garcia has performed brilliantly considering his age, but he has endured some shaky moments, and he looked vulnerable against Crawley Town at times last weekend.

Even with a couple of other areas needing to be addressed though, the striker department should still be on the Royals' agenda ahead of the January window.

Fabio Tavares could be a good addition for Reading FC

Smith and Wareham are two good options for manager Ruben Selles, but the latter is still inexperienced at this point and having two forward options on the bench may be a good idea.

Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan is another potential option, but the Royals don't have a huge amount of depth on the wing and he has proved to be a much better option out wide.

With this in mind, he shouldn't be used in a central area.

Harvey Knibbs is another potential striker option, but that isn't his natural position and he's likely to be much more effective in his central midfield role.

Moving him around too much may affect his rhythm, and that isn't ideal considering how important he's been for the Berkshire side, so he should remain in the middle of the park.

With all of this in mind, another striker option in January may be required, and one player the Royals were linked to in January was Coventry City forward Fabio Tavares.

Tavares has been on the periphery of the Sky Blues' first team for a while now, but could have benefitted from a loan move to the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

He would have had no shortage of motivation to do well in Berkshire - and there's a good chance he would have been ahead of Wareham in the pecking order.

That could have given him a chance to win plenty of game time under Selles, which would have given him the opportunity to make a real impact.

Unfortunately, Tavares hasn't won much game time this season, with the likes of Ellis Simms, Brandon Thomas-Asante and Haji Wright ahead of him in the pecking order.

He could still have a part to play between now and January, but his chances of winning much game time in the coming months are slim.

He has made just one appearance all season and that came in the EFL Cup, with the player even being excluded from the matchday squad at times this season.

Also an unused substitute during the Sky Blues' midweek game against Queens Park Rangers, he hasn't had that many chances to impress in recent months.

With this in mind, the Royals will need to get him up to speed and in a position where he can be heavily involved in games.

That isn't ideal if they sign him in January, because he won't have a pre-season period to regain his match sharpness before he's thrown into matches.

It's an issue that the Royals will need to solve if they secure a January loan deal for him.