For Reading fans, February 1 cannot come soon enough.
The Royals might have won just one of their last seven Championship fixtures but, after making the best start of any team in the history of the competition, Veljko Paunovic’s team are still just a single point off the top of the table with a third of the season gone.
But, if this season’s surprise packages are to really establish themselves as genuine promotion favourites, they need a few things to go their way.
They need Michael Olise to stay, of course, with Reading’s teenage talisman attracting alleged interest from Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal and Leeds United.
Keeping Lucas Joao fit, meanwhile, could be the difference between a top six finish and a mid-table one. The Portuguese striker has scored 10 goals in 13 starts this term but, while his ability is not in question, his worrisome fitness record most certainly is.
And then there is Omar Richards.
According to the Reading Chronicle, both West Ham United and Crystal Palace – two teams who have made a habit of targeting the Championship’s brightest talents of late – are planning to raid the Madejski for Paunovic’s buccaneering left-back in January.
“Of course (I want to keep Richards),” Paunovic told Berkshire Live last week, acknowledging that the England U21 international is out of contract next summer.
“He’s a very important part of the team. He has had fantastic participation so far and we’re looking at him as a very, very important part of the team, not only this year but also in the future.”
Another eye-catching performance in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday will have done Richards’ Premier League prospects no harm at all. He was exceptional at Hillsborough and should have earned himself a penalty, if not for a rather questionable refereeing decision.
The question is: will he be playing top-flight football with Reading or with someone else?
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