For those who didn't see this doing the Twitter rounds yesterday, reports in South Africa suggest we are tracking the Finnish goalkeeper.

Currently plying his trade for Ajax Cape Town and has been capped at youth and senior level for his native country.

No Jonathan Bond at Borehamwood yesterday and AAH was only player to play whole match - suggests JS taking a good hard look at him?

32 years old and the closest he's been to Reading is 14 appearances for Kilmarnock in 2 seasons, three years ago. Total of 117 apps in 12 years for various clubs (that's almost 10 appearances every season).

Bit too old for an understudy and would have expected him to have had a higher playing profile, by now, to be considered as a number 1 at our level so a little nonplussed at this.

He's 29 - but I agree not the most high profile; although a certain American GK did pretty well for us when joining at about 29 with little experience

This might be a rumour and nothing more. I'm sure I read somewhere yesterday that Bond is injured for 4 to 5 weeks.

Bond is injured for around 5 weeks. I can't see why we need this guy though, unless we are looking at losing another relatively high wage in Al Habsi or Bond. Looking at Jaakkola's clips on YouTube he's very useful. But then you wonder why he hasn't been given a chance at a bigger club before the age of 29.

Actually looks a very decent keeper - seems to be a good shot stopper with pretty good positional nous. Obviously beyond that it's difficult to form an opinion without watching him regularly.

Anyone on here who recalls Jaakkola's time at Kilmarnock or someone or who watches a lot of SA football?

Quality clangers when they do happen though....



Better moments here...

Talk Reading ‏@TalkReading 28s28 seconds ago
DONE DEAL: Reading have signed Ajax Cape Town goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola for an undisclosed fee. [KickOff] #readingfc

Don't get me wrong, looks a decent keeper from the videos. But still a weird one this if it is all confimred.

Maybe the club are looking to loan out bond for the season and get one more year out of AAH with jaakkola as understudy?

Looks likes this has been confirmed in SA and we have another keeper.

Stam obviously knows this keeper.

Hopefully Jaap has good judgement and knows that this guy is good enough for the Champ. In Jaap we trust.

Certainly the GK position is one that definitely needed improving.

Staams agent rubbing his hands here

I like his beard.

"Jaakkola, Jaakkola rub your beard all over my..."

Feed the Jaak and they won't score?

Done deal according to this

Having asked a couple of fans on twitter

Annsi Jaakkola is an outstanding shot stopper, got height, reads the game well and good with one on ones.

A goalkeeper is only as good as his defence, he was commanding a very youthful defence.. So jah I too believe it's more of defence than him. Annsi can absorb the pressure quite well.

His center backs were 19 and 21 years. The youngest center back pairing in the league. He went on to win the top 8 cup with that defence conceding only 1 goal

basically it's our loss and your gain

He's is very good.. He was nominated for Goalkeeper of the season in two consecutive seasons

Well if he could turn out to be half as good as Jaaskelainen we'd be onto a winner.

First Finn to play for Reading now !

We signed him from a club over in SA.
He's a goalkeeper and his name is Anssi Jaak-kola.
K-O-L-A, Kola.
He plays for Reading and he's got a great beard.
He's from Finland where they speak really weird. His name is Kola.
K-O-L-A Kola. Anssi Jaakkola.

Locals feel he is ready for Seria A. It does look like we've got ourselves a bargain here, and certainlt not someone who expects to sit on the bench as second fiddle to Al-Habsi or Bond.

Confirmed on the official site

Reading Football Club are pleased to announce that Finnish goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola has completed a move to Madejski Stadium, signing a two-year deal with the Royals.

The 29-year-old keeper joins the RG2 ranks for an undisclosed transfer fee, moving from South African top flight side Ajax Cape Town to become a Reading player ahead of the 2016-17 campaign.

The 6’5” Finn began his career in his homeland before moving to Tuscany and Italian side Siena in 2006. He went on to represent Slavia Prague for one season before a move to the UK transpired when Kilmarnock came calling for his services in 2011.

He played 13(+1) times for Killie, managed by fellow Finn Mixu Paatelainen at the time, and Jaakkola kept six clean sheets during his time at Rugby Park whilst also making a senior international appearance for Finland against Sweden.

Three years ago he put pen to paper on move to the Premier Soccer League out in South Africa and he kept a clean sheet in the final of the MTN 8 cup competition in 2015 to hand his Cape Town club a 1-0 win over the Kaizer Chiefs at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

Anssi now becomes a Royal, signing a contract which is set to keep him at Madejski Stadium until the summer of 2018. This evening, he will fly out to Holland to link up with his new teammates during a pre-season training camp in Oosterbeek.

What's the link here? Tevreden owe him a favor? Same agent as the kit man? This club has a very Charlton-like vibe to it at the moment

Its nothing Steve Coppell didn't do when he was squad building with us. Lets just hope he's more Ivar than Brooker.

I think Stam's looking for cheap, reliable players that he knows can do a job short term.

Yay we signed another player

His agent is Sander Westerveld, who used to play with Stam I believe

Good call royalp-we

To the tune of The Kinks 'Lola'

Well, I'm not dumb but I can't understand
Why he play like a woman and talk like a man
Oh Jaakkola, Ja Ja Ja Jaakkola, Ja Ja Ja Jaakkola

Interesting. Bond out on loan or 3 GKs in the squad?

It would be nice to have a keeper you had confidence in again,
hopefully. I am sure our defence will feel the same.

The interview on YouTube was interesting in that it made reference to Al Habsi but none whatsoever to Bond.

Around 2:23, the interviewer refers to him "..providing healthy competition with Ali Al Habsi, who has been the Number 1 last season. Hopefully that's what it will be, two good goalkeepers vying for that jersey."
I reckon Bond is on his way out.