Paul Ince expects 'tough season' for Reading as transfer embargo hinders recruitment

Ince can currently only sign free agents or players on loan to one-year deals

Reading manager Paul Ince says he needs "characters who are going to fight" if his side are to survive in the Championship.

The 54-year-old was appointed permanent manager after guiding the Royals to a 21st-placed finish and avoiding relegation last season.

The EFL club has been under a transfer embargo since July 2021 for breaching profit and sustainability rules.

"It's difficult bringing in the right players," he told BBC Radio Berkshire.

"It's not helpful at all for me, as a manager trying to start the season, we've got about 12 or 13 signed-up first-team players, which is not great preparation."

Midfield 'we need to prioritise big time'

Reading remain under the EFL's transfer embargo and can currently only sign free agents or players on loan to one-year contracts.

"We are light at the left-back position but more so in midfield, we need to prioritise that big time. We lost Josh Laurent to Stoke, Andy Rinomhota has gone to Cardiff, and Danny Drinkwater hasn't come back. We need three or four midfield players and we haven't got one at the moment.

"We're just trying to get deals done and get the right players in. You don't just want to take any player. You want a player who will fit into the culture. We know it's going to be a tough season. We need characters who're going to fight. These things take time. It's not going to happen overnight.

"The problem is at the moment is we have 12 players and seven or eight triallists. We need to narrow that down as much as possible so I can at least have a squad of 20 where I can get to know them and say this is how we work, this is our culture, this is what we do and this is how we do it. That's always difficult when you haven't got your full squad in."

Ince was appointed permanent Reading manager in May 2022

'Football is about running'

Whilst the number of departures outweigh the number of recent signings, Reading announced they had maintained the services of 18-year-old striker Jahmari Clarke.

The Jamaica U20 international, who scored two goals in 13 appearances for the Royals last season, signed a one-year deal to keep him at the Select Car Leasing Stadium for another year.

Reading play Benfica behind closed doors at St George's Park in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.

"Pre-season has changed since I was a player, you'd have eight weeks off and drink as much as you can, and you'd come back and do eight-mile runs and be sick on the floor. It's changed now, players have their programmes and they're coming back to pre-season 50 to 60% fit."

"Football is about running. If you haven't got the ball you have to run. Most of the players in a game probably touch the ball between two and three minutes a game over 90 minutes. If you don't run, especially in this league, you're going to struggle. You have to get a strong team that can run, be organised and be powerful in pre-season. You have to run."

The Royals start their season at Blackpool on 30 July.