"Deeply disappointed" - Politician sends plea to Dai Yongge as Reading FC takeover saga drags on | OneFootball

Supporters have been pining for a change in ownership for a long time now.

One of Reading's MPs, Matt Rodda, has called upon Reading FC owner Dai Yongge to "speed up the sale of the club" following the departure of manager Ruben Selles.

The Spaniard being snatched by Hull City made an already unsure situation at the Select Car Leasing Stadium even more unstable. The club did act quickly to bring in his replacement, appointing under-21's manager Noel Hunt as his successor, but the off-field issues remain.

The 41-year-old got a draw with league leaders Wycombe Wanderers, away from home, to get his tenure under way. They face Walsall in the EFL Trophy tonight (Tuesday, 10th December), before Hunt takes charge of his first home game this weekend against Blackpool in his new spell in charge of the first-team.

Selles' time with Reading will be fondly remembered. The football that he got the Royals playing made supporters forget, if only for 90 minutes a week, about the off-the-field mess at the club.

Multiple people have made attempts to buy the club from Yongge, including former chairman Roger Smee and ex-Wycombe owner Rob Couhig, but neither were successful.

Reading MP calls on Dai Yongge to sell Reading FC

Now, after months of failed bids, and now a change in manager, Matt Rodda, a representative of one of the Berkshire town's constituencies, has sent a message to the club's owner, via social media, urging him to get on with selling the Royals.

In a video posted to X on Monday, he said: "I'm deeply disappointed to hear that Ruben Selles is leaving Reading, however I do wish Noel Hunt well. I hope that he continues the recent winning run of the club."

Hunt revealed, after his first game in charge, that there had been no contact between him and Yongge or CEO Dayong Pang about or since his appointment.

The lack of communication and clarity is just one of the things that has made this ownership saga so frustrating for Royals supporters. Rodda called for the Chinese businessman to assure fans that he is speaking to interested parties and to get on with the sale of the club.

"I'm also calling on Dai Yongge to speed up the sale of the club and to also provide reassurance in this very difficult time; to let them (the supporters) know that he is having meaningful discussions with new bidders for the club," concluded the MP for Reading Central.

Largely down to the work of the now former manager, Reading are certainly in the hunt for a play-off place this season. Given they were threatened with a second successive relegation last season, due to multiple point deductions, that is a remarkable turnaround.

And there would be real hope for the future were it not for the current ownership situation, which has limited the club to sub-par working conditions.

There is huge potential at Reading, they just need the right people in charge to make the most out of it, which is exactly what Selles did.

In an ideal world, a takeover would be done and dusted before the January transfer window opens, giving Hunt the best possible chance to replenish his young squad, but if we are to go off recent history, that is unlikely to happen as Yongge continues to drag his feet.