The Royals’ large expenditures on Sone Aluko and George Puscas have since backfired.
Given that Reading’s financial situation is currently extremely precarious, it is simple to reflect on some of the money that has been squandered over time.
Under controversial owner Dai Yongge, the team hasn’t always struggled financially. In fact, when the Chinese businessman first took over, he was eager to splash the cash, which contributed to the Royals’ current situation.
The team was acquired by Dai Yongge and Dai Xiu Li in May 2017, right before the team lost to Huddersfield Town in the Championship play-off final on penalties.
However, this did not stop the new Royals owners from making big purchases. Seeking to win back the Premier League following their 2013 relegation, they paid £7.5 million to sign Nigerian international Sone Aluko.
The Royals kept splashing the cash, and two years later they brought George Puscas of Inter Milan to Berkshire for an additional £7.5 million.
Although this is a far cry from their current financial circumstances, the club’s financial collapse began with the mismanagement of this money.
Sone Aluko and George Puscas’ time at Reading
Aluko arrived in 2017 and played for Select Car Leasing Stadium for four years, with the exception of a loan stint in 2019 at Beijing Renhe, a Chinese club.
Despite a strong start that saw him record three assists in his first five games, the forward was unable to leave his mark at the club, proving to be a really bad business decision.
In 39 appearances during his rookie season, he only managed two goals and five assists, and things only got worse from there.
Before spending the second half of the 2018–19 season on loan in China, he made just 20 appearances across all competitions in the first half of the season, recording one assist and one goal.
George Puscas, a new addition, joined Aluko when he returned to Berkshire in the summer of 2019, further displacing the Nigerian from the starting lineup.
Throughout the season, Aluko would only make six appearances, four of which were in the FA Cup.
In the meantime, Puscas scored 14 goals in 42 games to have a respectable return in his rookie season.
Aluko played 36 games in his final season at Reading, enjoying a sort of mini-resurrection under Veljko Paunovic.
Conversely, Puscas had trouble with injuries and only made 22 appearances, scoring four goals.
After a four-year stint during which he failed to live up to expectations as a £7.5 million player, Aluko was released in the summer of 2021 and signed with Ipswich, where he is still playing today.
Puscas spent the first part of the 2022–2023 season at Reading. He then spent the second half of the season on loan at Serie B team Pisa. Finally, he spent the entire 2022–2023 season on loan at Genoa before being released in the summer of 2023.
25 goals and 13 assists from 193 appearances combined isn’t good enough after spending a combined total of about £15 million, and Reading supporters will remember the two as a total waste of money.
Money spent on Sone Aluko and George Puscas contributed to Reading’s financial downfall
Undoubtedly, Dai Yongge’s decision to spend £7.5 million on each player was motivated by his expectation that they would propel Reading to the Premier League; however, things didn’t quite go as planned.
Championship teams without parachute payments cannot afford to spend that kind of money; otherwise, they will end up where Reading is right now, which is not sustainable.
The Royals’ current predicament is not entirely attributable to the money spent on Puscas and Aluko, but it also wouldn’t have helped.
Both proved to be extremely bad purchases for Reading, even though there were moments when they showed promise. They were a total waste of money.
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