Reading have strengthened their defence with the signings of Ryan Nyambe and Haydon Roberts, from Derby County and Bristol City, respectively.
Announced last night, Nyambe joins on loan for the remainder of the season, while Roberts has penned a two-and-a-half-year deal at the Royals.
The two-ex Rams, whose time never overlapped at Pride Park, provide a huge boost to Leam Richardson’s outfit.
Having emerged from the congested middle pack in League One, Reading have their sights set on a Play-Off place. With four victories in their last six matches, the Berkshire outfit have closed the gap on sixth-place Huddersfield Town to four points.
And with games in hand on most of the sides above them in the table, the Royals have every right to believe a promotion push is possible in their remaining 21 matches.
Starting with Nyambe, the Gambian boasts a wealth of Championship experience, mainly from his seven years at Blackburn Rovers. But he also played second-tier football with Wigan Athletic for a single season, before moving to the East Midlands with Derby.
His gametime has been restricted with the Rams, playing just 46 times in two and a half years. That will be something that Richardson will need to bear in mind as the 28-year-old looks to get back up to speed. In the current 25/26 campaign, the right-back has played just 262 minutes of football.
Roberts has been slightly more involved with Bristol City, appearing in 13 matches with 390 minutes of action under his belt. After progressing through the youth system at boyhood club Brighton & Hove Albion, making six appearances, the 23-year-old departed Sussex after his loan spell at Derby.
Opting for a permanent move to the Robins, the former Rochdale loanee racked up 53 games in his first two campaigns in the south-west. But after falling out of favour, Roberts makes the short move across the M4, hoping to lead Reading into the same division as his former club next season.
Manager Richardson was more than satisfied with his two most recent recruits, who are both eligible to face Barnsley on Saturday, subject to EFL ratification.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Ryan to the club. He knows exactly what it takes to get out of League One and has hundreds of matches of experience at both League One and Championship level.
“We’re delighted to welcome Haydon to the club on a permanent deal. “He’s already made a decent number of appearances at Championship level, which says a lot about his ability and mentality.”
State Of Play In Reading’s Camp
It has already been a busy three weeks for the Royals in the transfer window. Nyambe isn’t the only loan arrival from a Championship side this season, with Will Keane completing a move to RG2 until the end of the season.
Randell Williams has also extended his stay at the club after signing a short-term deal in November. He has now agreed terms until the end of the 26/27 season. There had been interest from Thames Valley rivals Oxford United for Charlie Savage, though a bid in the region of 500k has been rejected.
And that is without mentioning the saga surrounding Ricardo Santos. The former Bolton Wanderers man was believed to have failed a medical at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, after looking set for a move to Berkshire. Now, Roberts will be expected to fill that void, while Nyambe can also play as a centre-half.