Nottingham Forest had looked to have completed a deal for West Ham United defender Reece Oxford.
Slaven Bilic has suggested that he sent Reece Oxford on loan to Reading rather than Nottingham Forest because of Jaap Stam.
Stam is currently in charge of the Royals, and Bilic has great respect for the Dutch manager.
Forest, meanwhile, do not have a permanent boss in place – and that uncertainty counted against them in the transfer.
It seemed that Forest were well on their way to completing a deal for Oxford yesterday, but Reading’s late swoop added a complication.
And Bilic decided that the 18-year-old prospect would be better off at the Madjeski Stadium, rather than the City Ground.
Reading are currently gunning for promotion in the Championship, while Forest are struggling against relegation.
Forest are expected to have a new manager in place soon, with Nigel Clough the odds-on favourite to land the role.
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