Reading FC fired one particular Jack Marriott warning - "we just don't create enough" | OneFootball

Reading have been linked to the out of favour Wrexham striker Jack Marriott, and FLW's Reading fan pundit feels that this could be a good move.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Reading FC have had a difficult start to their 2025-26 League One season, with just one point won from their first four matches dropping them into the division's relegation places. With just two goals scored in those four games, it is clear that the Royals need some extra options in attack.

Reading sold their top goalscorer last season, Harvey Knibbs, to Charlton Athletic over the summer and, as per an FLW Exclusive, the Royals are now being linked with the Wrexham striker Jack Marriott, who's fallen out of favour at The Racecourse Ground, as a potential replacement for him before the closure of the summer transfer window.

Reading FC backed to bring Jack Marriott in this summer

Football League World have spoken to our Reading fan pundit Johnny Hunt about the possibility of Marriott moving to his club, and he's optimistic about it: "I like Jack Marriott. I think it's where we're at as a club, really. If we're not going to be spending crazy money on players, then that seems to be where the budget is for players at the minute. He's more experienced than we've got in the team. It's not the same as having a Sam Smith. It would be great if he'd come back."

Johnny is realistic about the limitations upon his team in the transfer market, but doesn't feel that 20-year-old Mark O'Mahony is up to the job of leading their front line: "But it's someone who knows how to score, who's played at this level, compared to the young lad O'Mahony, who looks a bit out of his depth at this level. So it's an upgrade on that. Is it perfect? No, but we're not in a position to go for more exciting strikers that don't fit in with our budget restraints, and he'd be a good option."

But Johnny does have one word of caution about the signing, that Reading would need to make changes to their set-up in order to accommodate Marriott: "He's not the biggest, but I think if he's going to play, if he does sign, then you have to look at how we're going to set up as a team because having a small striker in a 4-3-3, I don't think it works for us. We just don't create enough. So it will be interesting to see if they do change the set-up if someone like that does come along, especially when we're talking about Dom Ballard as a possible player, but I think this guy would be a better option than him or Mahoney. And he's got a point to prove as well, if somebody's hungry. It'll be interesting to see how it works out."

A move back to League One may suit Jack Marriott as well as Reading FC

Jack Marriott signed for Wrexham at the end of the January 2024 transfer window on an 18-month contract from Fleetwood Town, and has since extended that contract by a further 18 months, meaning that it now has a season left to run before its expiry. But Wrexham may be keen to move the player on, given the comings and goings there over the summer as they prepare for life in the Championship.

His time at The Racecourse Ground hasn't been especially successful, despite Wrexham's two successive promotions from League Two to the Championship since his arrival. He's only made 26 appearances in the League for them over the last season and a half, and with Wrexham's ambition being to reach the Premier League as quickly as possible, it's difficult to see how he would fit into their plans for the coming season.

At 5'8" tall, Marriott doesn't fit the bill of a target man that you might expect to see within a 4-3-3 formation, but he is experienced at this level, with the standout statistic to back this being the 33 goals he scored in all competitions for Peterborough United during their 2017-18 season. Marriott has played Championship football before, but has never quite settled at that level, so a move back to League One may suit the player as well.

Despite being under serious pressure for much of last season, Reading did excellently to finish in seventh place and this season is a real opportunity for them to push on. While their poor start to the season has already impacted upon that, there's still time for them to recover and push up the table. With his experience and his goal-scoring record at this level, Jack Marriott could be just the player to help them with that.