RUMOUR - Michael Hector

[Basingstoke-Royal]

"Sky Sports understands Norwich and West Ham are trailing Reading's teenage sensation Michael Hector, who has been dubbed the "new Chris Smalling".

The stylish 19-year-old defender is currently on-loan at Barnet where his composed displays are earning him rave reviews from scouts.

Reading snapped up the central defender from non-league Thurrock and he has since progressed through their Scholarship programme to earn a professional contract.

However, the Royals have been keen to refine his callow ability and have farmed him out to several non-league clubs to gain first-team experience to accelerate his progress.

Barnet are currently reaping the benefits of his calm assured performances at the heart of their defence and he has become a firm favourite at Underhill.

Hector's contract with the Royals is set to run out this summer and should he fail to agree an extension, interested parties would have to pay a minimal compensation fee as he is under 24."

Really hope this isn't true ...

[ZacNaloen]

Would be disappointing to lose a player of his supposed ability before we even see him break into our first team for sure

[Snowball]

That's a real bummer, but if true smacks of carelessness on Reading's side.

Altho I suppose he might be refusing to sign

[winchester_royal]

He'll sign.

[urz13]

If he's any good, we'll make sure he signs.

[melonhead]

That's a real bummer, but if true smacks of carelessness on Reading's side.

Altho I suppose he might be refusing to sign

lol @ carelessness


there is no way we havent offered him a new contract, and if hes stalled its cos he knows how good he is, and what he can get elsewhere rather than us "forgetting" to sort it out

[winchester_royal]

TBH I'm not sure we have. Don't we normally handle the contracts of younger players around March time?

[ZacNaloen]

Not sure about exactly when we do it, but we worry about it when we have some idea of how they've performed on their loans.

[urz13]

I hope he signs anyway. It's exciting to read about all our academy prospects and there's a certain satisfaction for me when watching us play in thinking 'he's homegrown'. If we're producing players like Jem, Pearce, Gylfi, Shane, McCarthy, Obita and Hector now I can't wait to see what we'll do with a Category 1 academy.

[urz13]

Also Barnet vs Swind*n is live on sky tonight in the JPT area final - will be a good opportunity to see both Hector and Obita play competitively in a high pressure game.

[Platypuss]

Hector's agent must be putting in some work for his client ahead of the TV game tonight.

[Focher]

"new Chris Smalling"

LOL

[FiNeRaIn]

think he's off personally, real sloppy from the clubs old regime. Hopefully the new one isn't as disorganised.

[Isaac Hunt]

"new Chris Smalling"

LOL

i also saw him being called a "young Rio Ferdinand" too...

#Louiswalshschoolofjournalism

[Royal Rother]

think he's off personally, real sloppy from the clubs old regime. Hopefully the new one isn't as disorganised.

[Ian Royal]

If we want to keep him I'd be surprised if he didn't sign. Given our ability to develop players I'd be surprised if he left us for West Ham or Norwich's academy. He's got more chance of playing with us than for them.

Lolz @ finerain knocking the club for something that hasn't happened yet. typically poor trolling.

[Croydon Royal]

Sky Sports linking a lower league player to Premiership clubs just hours before his team play a rare and unglamorous game live on Sky - shock. Would be surprised if there's any truth in this. As someone who works in a similar area I can predict with some confidence that the writer will have been asked by his editor this morning to write a couple of web stories to build up at least a little bit of buzz around tonight's game. Linking a decent prospect with a couple of Prem/Championship clubs is the easiest story to conjure up. And it won't be many, but you know there'll now be at least a couple of West Ham and Norwich fans who might entertain the idea of watching the game tonight to check him out.

It's like the fact that Sky Sports now suddenly recognises that Formula 1 exists now that it's got the rights....

[TBM]

tbh he is probably waiting to see what our intentions with him are........if we cant offer him a taste of 1st team football within a year or so, then i wont blame him for moving on

[Platypuss]

tbh he is probably waiting to see what our intentions with him are........if we cant offer him a taste of 1st team football within a year or so, then i wont blame him for moving on

He seems to be pretty well-grounded and realistic:

From Nov: "My next goals will be to get fit, get on loan to an English league club and hopefully do well for Reading and get into the squad, perhaps not this season but in the seasons after that."

http://www.readingfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10306~2493739,00.html

[Friday's Legacy]

i mentioned this during the transfer window. west ham have been watching him for some months, and also lawdon d'ath.

i hope we tie the boy down to a long term deal as soon as possible and give him a chance to prove his ability in pre-season.

lazy journalism labelling him the next chris smalling. the likeness is there, they play the same position, but that doesn't mean he's a wonder kid.