The former Royals owner has urged Dai Yongge to sell the club for the right price
Reading’s 3-1 defeat earlier in the week in League One action at Northampton Town was a damning indicament of the situation the club finds themselves in currently.
Hampered by four points deducted from their tally already, Ruben Selles’ side are in the bottom four of the third tier of English football with just six points to their name currently.
The overspending of Chinese businessman Dai Yongge, who took over the club in 2017, eventually came back to bite as sanctions both financially and in the transfer window have been placed on the Royals in recent years, and in recent months the late payment of wages due to Yongge’s financial struggles has also hit the team hard.
What is the latest on Reading FC’s current situation?
Whilst things are still bad at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, there was at least some positive news in the previous week as all players and staff were paid in full and on time for the month of September.
Another late payment would have certainly triggered yet another sanction and points deduction from the EFL, but the tax bill to HMRC for September still remains unpaid, leaving the Royals under a transfer embargo.
In the latest update though on the future of the club, The Telegraph reported last week that multiple parties are interested in a potential takeover at the Berkshire outfit, with one party being in advanced talks at the time it was written.
There has been no further updates though in regards to any exclusivity agreements with any consortiums, but it now looks as though Yongge is open to selling up at Reading.
What has Sir John Madejski said on Reading FC’s current situation?
Former Royals owner Sir John Madejski has issued his take on the struggles that his former club find themselves in, and he has backed the fans’ protests on what is currently going on, whilst also believing that Reading are probably worth around £20 million in a potential takeover deal.
“I agree with them – I think it’s absolutely diabolical and my heart goes out to all the fans and of course all the wonderful people that work at Reading Football Club that have been so loyal to the club over many, many years,” Madejski said on BBC Radio Berkshire (October 6,
8:05am).
“And quite frankly the whole situation is dire. And so, absolutely without reason or even sense because if Mr. Dai had only bothered to listen to people local on the ground, this could have all been averted many years ago – six years ago in-fact when he took over the club.
“The fact that he put £600 million into the club is no mean thing, the fact that he kept the club going all through lockdown is no mean thing, the fact that he built a state of the art training ground is no mean thing.
“His wrongdoing was getting advice from people that have no affinity with Reading Football Club, these amazing sort of high-flying, international agents and people that had no affinity to Reading at all, and I think that’s where it all went wrong.
“Sadly, Mr Dai doesn’t speak English but we are where we are now, and of course the blame has to lie with him because he owns the club.
“I think he certainly is bothered, but the trouble is he can’t get his money that he used to be able to get out of China, so he’s a bit strapped for cash as they say.
“But I do applaud Reading Borough Council and the Supporters’ Trust at Reading who have managed to make the ground an asset of community value status, which means to say that, and I think as I understand it the club is up for sale, it could be a very good bargain for somebody with deep pockets at the mom“The wage bill has been slashed a bit so that’s not a problem any longer, and I think if I had the necessary funds it would be a very attractive club to buy.”ent.
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