HIGHLIGHTS
- Reading FC is in a dire situation at the bottom of the League One table and in need of a shakeup at the boardroom level.
- The club’s owner, Dai Yongge, has faced criticism for overspending and breaking rules, leading to fan frustration and calls for his removal.
- There are currently four official offers on the table for a potential takeover of the club, with Mike Ashley being seen as a potentially suitable owner to help navigate Reading out of their current predicament.
Siting rock-bottom of the League One table and recently overtaken by struggling Cheltenham Town, Reading FC are in desperate need of a fresh lease of life at boardroom level.
There has been significant spending over the years by their Chinese businessman owner Dai Yongge since he arrived at the Select Car Leasing Stadium in 2017, but there is such a thing as too much spending and breaking the rules – which is what the club have done under his ownership.
Fans have understandably been growing tired and frustrated with Yongge’s actions and subsequent consequences that have occurred, but there could be change on the horizon.
What is the latest on a potential takeover of Reading FC?
Reading supporters have been trying to push Yongge out of the door for some time, but those attempts have accelerated in recent times due to points deductions, late and unpaid wages and also unpaid tax bills.
It does appear though that a takeover could be coming in the near future, with the Reading Chronicle’s latest update last week was that four official offers are on the table for the Berkshire outfit, with Yongge flying in to England to oversee negotiations.
There were hopes that exclusivity would be granted to one party by the end of last week, but that has not occurred as of yet, whilst one of the interested parties – DA Capital – have since taken control of Nuneaton Borough.
This may not be a huge blow for the Royals, considering this party didn’t seem to be at the front of the queue to buy the club.
One of the more prominent parties that has been discussed is that of ex-Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, who certainly wasn’t well-liked by most Magpies supporters during his time at St. James’ Park, but he is a shrewd businessman and sold to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund for £305 million in 2021.
Ashley has been touted as an ideal owner for Reading to get themselves out of what they currently find themselves in by a current League One chairman in the form of Peterborough United’s Darragh MacAnthony, and he has also been given somewhat of a seal of approval by an EFL pundit.
Is Mike Ashley the right person to take over at Reading FC?
Sky Sports commentator and pundit Don Goodman believes that despite his past issues as Newcastle owner and their supporters’ opinion of him, Ashley could be a good owner for the Royals to get them out of the mess that they currently find themselves in.
“I think Mike Ashley is linked with every club!” Goodman said.
“He was linked with Derby, Sheffield Wednesday and now Reading.
“None of those three clubs are Newcastle United, and it’s impossible to judge him on that when talking about Championship (and League One) clubs.
“All three of them were a bit broken to various degrees.
“Reading are unbelievably broken! It’s just such a mess. They’ve failed to pay players, taxes and they’ve had embargoes and points deductions.
“My heart goes out to Reading fans.
“All you can do is point them to clubs like Wigan and Blackpool. I remember feeling really sorry for fans of those clubs, but they ended up having relative success in the Premier League.
“I’m not saying that will happen to Reading, but they need an owner. They need patience.
“The harsh reality is, we could be talking about Reading as a League Two club next year, which is sad.
“It’s a result of gross mismanagement. I think anybody would be better than Dai Yongge!
“Mike Ashley is a shrewd businessman with plenty of football experience.
“He may or may not be the best man for the job, but he’d certainly be better than the current owner.”
Ben is a writer who specialises in football who has worked at Football League World since December 2020 as a freelancer and also a full-time member of the team, producing content and also editing and publishing for other people.
Graduating from the University of Central Lancashire in 2017 with a degree in Sports Journalism, Ben worked for GiveMeSport between 2018 and 2020, covering a wide range of sports from football to WWE to UFC before then moving on to Football League World in late 2020.
Ben is a massive fan of Preston North End and watches them both home and away and works as a member of the press for matches at Deepdale. He is also a big fan of darts, cricket and horse racing.
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