Reading Pursue Free Agent Midfielder
Reading are in pursuit of free agent Joe Strawn, who was most recently at League One Blackpool, according to Alan Nixon.
The Royals are keen on bringing the attacking midfielder to the club to train after catching the eye of the club’s scouts. The 19-year-old was let go by recently relegated Blackpool and has since been searching for a new club. Despite being at the club through his career, he did not make a senior appearance.
He was however a regular in the U-18s and aided John Murphy’s side to the FA Youth Cup Quarter Finals. His versatility has meant he has played across the attacking positions including out on the wing and an attacking midfield role.
Upon signing his professional deal with the club in 2022 Strawn told the club’s media:
“I’m really excited to sign a professional contract and continue my progress here at Blackpool,”
“I’ve come through the academy and it’s nice to be rewarded.
“Last season was good for me personally, I played a lot of games, we played well in the FA Youth Cup and finished the season with a trophy by winning the Lancashire FA Professional Youth Cup, which reflected the year we had as a team.”
He also had a brief loan spell at non-league Bamber Bridge.
Reading are still looking for their first league win of the season after falling to Peterborough United and Port Vale (both 1-0) in a period still marred by off field and financial issues that saw protest group Sell Before We Dai stage a sit-in on the opening day of the season. They did however beat Millwall 4-0 in the EFL Cup.
Writer’s View
Clearly the Reading scouts see something their fellow League One side don’t. The 19-year-old clearly has talent but will need assessing before deciding what level he is currently at. It might be that he is brought in and then loaned out or used for sporadic appearances as they look to continue his development.
