Kelly Departure Confirmed

By Hob Nob Anyone?

Midfielder Liam Kelly has left the club as Reading continue to shrink their wage bill due to financial concerns. Former Reading manager Jaap Stam, now manager of Dutch side Feyenoord, has signed Kelly on a two year contract in a deal expected to be worth up to £500,000 in transfer fees to the Royals. Money remains tight at Reading so the deal should be beneficial to both clubs with the transfer fee perhaps lower than it might have been for a young player that still has plenty of potential for the future.

Kelly perhaps under performed last season and could prove a real asset to Feyenoord. Reading fans will be hoping a good sell on clause was included in the transfer with Reading due to receive a big payment from the four million pounds selling on of Jack Stacey from Luton to Bournemouth this week. Kelly played 94 times, scoring nine goals, for the Royals after signing professional terms in the summer of 2014. He had his best spell at the club under his new manager Jaap Stam before gradually falling out of favour over the last season.

Meanwhile Reading continue to look for a buyer for striker Sam Baldock who has been told he is surplus to requirements at Reading. Gomes is looking to remove the wages of another perhaps over-paid player after Baldock failed to impress last season. Like other players the club are looking to off-load he may be difficult to shift as he will be sitting on a very nice contract at Reading and other clubs are unlikely to want to meet demands for similar wages at their new clubs. Garath McCleary and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson are in similar positions after being told they are not in Gomes' plans for the new season. Transfer fees will not be a issue as Reading will accept almost any offer to cut their losses and take the wages down to enable new, lesser paid, players the chance to join the squad.

From the Discussion

NR Notts Royal 16 Jun 2019 · 5:43pm

Any news on when our Liam Kelly is on the move? Was hoping he’d be the next out the door
CO CountryRoyal 16 Jun 2019 · 7:20pm

Not sure but it does seem that he's been cut adrift a bit from the rest of the squid.
SR Snowflake Royal 16 Jun 2019 · 8:17pm

Unless we can find more midfielders, we could learn to regret that with a current first team midfield selection of: Rinomhota, Swift, Kelly, East, and Meyler. One is terrible, one is really only an attacking midfielder and one has just 1 senior appearance. The others are the excellent Rinomhota and Kelly himself. It's pretty low on reliable quality.
PT Pepe the Horseman 16 Jun 2019 · 8:51pm

Nice.
UR URZZZZ 16 Jun 2019 · 9:13pm

Which one is Meyler :wink:
WA Wallsy 30 Jun 2019 · 8:26pm

Liam is one of the players told he can leave and not to report back for training, and then told to in fact return for training as there are no tales thus far.
LW Lower West 30 Jun 2019 · 10:25pm

Perhaps some of the players will have had a change of attitude. Easier to find a new team if you are in the shop window.
RW royalp-we 1 Jul 2019 · 9:27am

Total assumption. Don’t believe everything you read on Twitter.
MH MELKSHAM HOOPS 8 Jul 2019 · 5:12pm

Done deal..
FT Fox Talbot 8 Jul 2019 · 6:04pm

Sorry to see him go and hope it works out in R'dam. Obvs the last year or so has been a pain on and off the pitch but earlier on there was a footballer in there worth watching - as opposed identikit midfielders like Meyler, Edwards, Evans. Kelly had some bravado and brains, could see and strike a pass and had a decent shot / free kick / pen on him. His situation (and size of course) reminds me of James Lambert - another whose talent never turned into a real career with Reading. It's not particularly the club's fault, it's the way the modern game is. Luka Modric shows it can be done by a titch but there aren't many of him about. In… More →
ZI Zip 8 Jul 2019 · 6:06pm

Kelly has scored some crackers for us. When he gets it right he can strike the ball beautifully. This is a great move for him. I hope he does well.
GE genome 8 Jul 2019 · 6:07pm

Cracking move for the lad all things considered... I can't say I'll miss him.

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