Reading’s Summer 2025 Departures: Where Are They Now?

In what has now become something of a yearly tradition for me, I like to take a little wander down memory lane and visit some old faces to see how they have been getting on since they left the hallowed grounds of Reading Football Club the previous summer. And some a bit earlier than the summer too, because why not?

It’s funny how much changes in football so quickly and how easy it has been to forget about some of these names already. But not at The Tilehurst End. TTE remembers. Anyway, in alphabetical order, here’s what the Class of 2025 are doing now:

Adrian Akande

Somewhat surprising to have seen him released in the summer – for me, at least – Akande didn’t take long to find a new club, dropping down to League Two with Colchester United after spending July training with the club to earn a two-year deal.

Akande had a reasonable start with the club, making six league appearances, mostly as a substitute, but contributing an assist on his one start for the club, against Cambridge United.

Unfortunately, Akande picked up an injury in September and has not played in the league since then but his return will surely be a boost for a Colchester side looking to gatecrash the League Two playoffs.

Tyler Bindon

Not for the first time, I’ll write something like this about a player: Oh Tyler, why did you leave? Well, we know why. But they won’t love you like we did! Well, at least that remains to be seen.

As we all know, Bindon earned himself a chance to compete in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest in January 2025, all of a year ago basically. However, he was loaned back to us for the rest of the 2024/25 season and remained a fan favourite through his excellent and mature performances in the heart of the defence.

We all know Ruben Selles was a fan of his, and this led to Bindon joining the then-newly appointed Sheffield United manager in the summer on loan and starting every game for Selles in the heart of defence.

Unfortunately, Selles’ reign at Sheffield United was a disaster and short-lived, and they decided to be a parody of themselves and rehire Chris Wilder.

Wilder presumably saw Bindon as a ‘Selles man’ and didn’t play Bindon for a long time, either benching him or not naming him in the matchday squad.

But the cream will always rise to the top, and Bindon has fought his way back into the side. He has featured in six of the Blades’ last seven league games, and they have only lost one of those, which is a good omen.

And in even more positive news, he recently scored his first goal for them, against Birmingham City. The second half of the season could be very promising for Bindon, and my Blades-supporting friend has spoken highly of his performances too. But I can’t rule it out that he’s just doing that to make me happy as I reminisce fondly with a tear in my eye.

Coniah Boyce-Clarke

Once the next great hope for Reading’s goalkeeper union, Boyce-Clarke was expected to break through into the first team and man the goal until Manchester United or some such larger team swooped in to claim him.

Unfortunately, it never really worked out like that for Boyce-Clarke. An ever-present in the under-21s, he did make the occasional first-team appearance when injuries plagued the side, but never really recovered from the mistake he made against Leyton Orient, leading to them winning the game 1-0. In fact, Reading never really recovered from that, ultimately losing out to Leyton Orient in the play-off race.

Sadly released in the summer, it took the Jamaica international some time to find a club but eventually signed for non-league Aldershot Town in November 2025. He has recently broken through to become the starting goalkeeper, and after conceding five in his first full game (I think it was just a bad game for the team all round and not owing to him), he conceded one two goals in his next four, before shipping five again against Solihull Moors.

Hopefully though, Boyce-Clarke can build from here to fulfil his obvious potential to climb the league ladder again.

David Button

Part of a goalkeeping overhaul in the summer, it was no surprise to see all-round good egg David Button depart the club at the end of his two-year deal, having fallen behind Joel Pereira in the pecking order.

However, it took Button almost no time at all to find a club. And indeed, quite the club he found. Ipswich Town, recently relegated from the Premier League, snapped him up on a one-year deal to presumably play the classic older, English third-choice goalkeeper role.

And in keeping to that role, he’s played exactly zero minutes as Ipswich Town are currently third in the Championship table.

Good for him, really. I hope he’s happy there and I’m sure he is a good character to have around the dressing room. I wish him well for whatever comes next at the end of the season!

Tom Carroll

Coming in on a free transfer from League Two in January, Carroll provided Reading with some much-needed headcount in the midfield for the second half of the season.

Unsurprisingly, he was unable to get past Harvey Knibbs, Charlie Savage or Lewis Wing and unlikely to usurp the injured Ben Elliott, so didn’t feature often and was released, with about as much fanfare as when he arrived in the first place.

He’ll probably be a pub quiz question one day in the future, and I certainly already forgot he had played for us. He has yet to find a club, which is unfortunate for someone who had such a bright start to their career.

Fingers crossed he is able to find a home in January, as you feel that he still has the skills to be a valuable squad member in the English football pyramid.

Michael Craig

Michael Craig was one of the early beneficiaries from the Selles era, breaking through in midfield after impressing in the EFL Pizza Car Cup. However, last year he really nailed down his first-team spot by converting to a right-back to cover injuries to both Andy Yiadom and Kelvin Abrefa, and never really looked back. At least, until he got injured himself.

Unfortunately, it seemed he wasn’t convinced he would get the playing time he desired by staying at Reading, given the competition for places at right-back was strong and the midfield was seemingly immovable.

This led to Craig declining a contract extension and moving to fellow League One side Leyton Orient.

He has been a regular for Orient this season, featuring in almost every game that he has been available for, despite picking up an injury that ruled him out for a few games (including a return to Reading) in September.

Craig continues to play at right-back, and has contributed one goal and one assist so far this season from his 23 matches in all competitions. A shame to have seen him leave, but it’s hard to deny that he made the right decision to get more playing time at Leyton Orient than he would have got at Reading.

Harlee Dean

Harlee Dean made quite the recovery arc in his time at Reading, and left the club being regarded highly by the fans, with regular “Deano, Deano” chants in his honour. However, it’s hard to argue that it wasn’t the right time for both to part ways.

There was some suggestion from fans that he may look to hang around as part of the coaching staff, but seemingly there is still gas left in the tank and he wanted to continue on with his playing career.

He’s yet to find a club, but a player with his experience and defensive nous will surely prove valuable for any League Two side looking for defensive cover due to injuries or such.

Louie Holzman

I was surprised to see Holzman leave – I always thought he had what it took to break through into the first team. However, it seems the club had decided it was either him or Michael Stickland that they’d keep, and Stickland won that battle, possibly helped by the fact that his injury record is better than Holzman’s.

It didn’t take long for Holzman to find a new club, though at a slightly lower level than I think he would have preferred. He signed for National League side Eastleigh in July 2025 and played six games but, perhaps hindered by their poor start, he was benched at the same time they began to pick up form.

He was then being sent on loan in October to a lower league, National League South, with Eastleigh, where he is starting regularly.

Harvey Knibbs

Oh Harvey, why did you leave? Well, we know why. But they won’t love you like we did! And indeed, while he is getting some game time (25 appearances in all competitions) at a Charlton Athletic side who are competing relatively well in the Championship, they are almost all exclusively substitute appearances.

He scored on his debut against Watford after coming off the bench but, given his minutes per game tend to only go up to 30, he’s not getting a huge amount of time to show what we can do. So far he has three league goals. 

He’s holding his own in a higher division, but it’s just a shame he’s not there with us. Whether it was the move he was looking for – given he played pretty much all of the minutes available for us – remains to be seen.

Amadou Mbengue

And for the last time, I’ll copy and paste this opening: Oh Amadou, why did you leave? Well, we know why. But they won’t love you like we did!

After impressing when becoming a ball-carrying centre-back, he decided to test himself at a higher level and rejected a contract extension at Reading. Which is fair enough, but why oh why did it have to be the fake hoops?

They certainly know they got themselves quite a player – in a side pushing for a play-off position in the Championship, he has played almost every available league game. He started out at centre-back but was moved over to right-back in November and has established himself there, even scoring his first QPR goals recently.

It’s really nice to see him doing well, but it cannot be stated just how much we miss him. He was uniquely gifted with such incredible skill and personality, he was a kind of once-in-a-generation player for us.

Jack Senga-Ngoyi

Another academy player I was surprised to see leave, I always believed he had the skills to offer us solidity in the midfield that could free up Wing to be more creative. However, clearly the club didn’t agree with this and allowed him to leave upon the expiry of his deal.

Of all the places he could have ended up, I don’t think anyone expected his next step to be in Bosnia. However, in August 2025, he joined Sarajevo B. I can’t find any data to tell me anything about the team’s results, or how he is performing, but I wish him the very best.

Jayden Wareham

Last but not least, Wareham. A local lad who really made an impact on the team last season following SAm Smith’s departure, it was something of a surprise that we saw him depart at the end of his contract in the summer.

Terms were offered, but perhaps the club weren’t willing to guarantee him a starter role and saw him as a back-up to a more experienced striker that they were looking to bring in. The Mark O’Mahony to Jack Marriott, if you will. And I certainly know which of the two between O’Mahony and Wareham I’d have preferred.

But it is what it is and Wareham quickly went onto pastures new, signing a deal with fellow League One side Exeter City and taking the number nine shirt. While Exeter are only three points off the relegation places, Wareham is playing every game as a starting striker and has scored three in his last five league outings.

He has 11 goals in 31 games across all competitions so far this season, one of which was obviously against Reading. And we all remember the celebration, so let’s leave it at that.

Bonus: Tobias Loveland

We’ve seen quite the overhaul of coaching personnel over the last year or so, and now is a nice time to check in and see how some old names are faring in their new roles, starting with Loveland.

Loveland left Reading in November 2024 to join Selles at Hull City, but joined Selles at Sheffield United in the summer. Unfortunately, during an ill-fated time there (more on this shortly), he departed in September 2025 and doesn’t appear to be part of any coaching set up currently.

Bonus: James Oliver-Pearce

Much like Loveland, Oliver-Pearce left to join Selles at Hull and followed him to Sheffield United. However, Oliver-Pearce has been out of work since leaving the Blades in September 2025.

As a side note, Loveland and Oliver-Pearce are excellent coaches and I sincerely hope they’re given an opportunity to get back into a backroom set-up somewhere soon.

Bonus: Ruben Selles

Now let’s tell the story that links the fates of Loveland and Oliver-Pearce to Selles.

Selles, seemingly having had enough of the previous Reading ownership, made a strange decision to jump ship to Hull. Strange in the sense that this was a club with a famously trigger-happy owner and in all kinds of disarray.

His rescue mission was ultimately – only just – successful, keeping them up in the Championship on the final day of the season, at the expense of Luton Town by goal difference. However, this wasn’t seen as enough and he was giving his marching orders, along with his coaching team.

Selles failed upwards and landed Sheffield United job, bringing Loveland and Oliver-Pearce with him. Sheffield United, having missed out on play-off promotion to the Premier League, were looking for a dynamic young coach to reshape the playing staff and playing style from Wilder’s, as the board believed his style was tired.

Selles lasted about six games before being dismissed, with Sheffield United at the bottom of the table. I truly believe that, if given the time, much like he was at Reading, he could have turned it around and probably have gotten them promoted next year. But clearly the board didn’t feel the same way.

I wanted to him to come back to Reading, but he wasn’t available because he had already taken up a position as head coach at Real Zaragoza in La Segunda Liga (the Spanish version of the Championship). He came in with them adrift at the bottom of the table (22nd) and they are currently 21st.

However, he has slowly began to right the ship and is in a league which much bigger teams to compete against, so he can continue this kind of form, there is every chance he can make up the current three-point gap to safety. I might even go and catch a train to catch a game.

Bonus: Tony Warner

As part of the coaching overhaul in the summer, Warner left Reading to take up a role as goalkeeper coach at Wigan Athletic.

It’s difficult to be able to judge his impact, but Wigan are currently 15th in a congested League One table, five points behind Reading in ninth, which is probably about what they’re aiming for: stability and then a play-off push.