Lincoln City have joined fellow promoted outfit Cardiff City in the race for key Reading midfielder Charlie Savage.
Silly season is well underway, but this latest rumour comes from a reputable source, in the form of Reading Chronicle reporter Ramy Abou-Setta.
One of the best pieces of business the Royals did in January was keeping hold of the Welsh international, amid a £500k offer from rivals Oxford United.
The 24-year-old can play anywhere in the middle of the park, including as a number ten, but he is predominantly a central midfielder.
Born in Leicester, Savage came through the ranks at Manchester United, where his first appearance for the Red Devils was on the greatest stage in club football. He was introduced as a late substitute in United’s final Champions League group stage match against Young Boys, on an evening where his father, Robbie Savage, was on commentary for BT Sport.
Ultimately, that was his only appearance at Old Trafford, making the matchday squad in a Premier League game on the final day of the 21/22 campaign against Crystal Palace. A loan at Forest Green Rovers followed, a club that his father now manages, when Rovers were a League One outfit. While the Stroud outfit were relegated that campaign, Savage remained at that level, joining Reading on a permanent basis.
Availability is often said to be the best ability, something that the young midfielder has had in abundance during three campaigns in the south-west. He has 142 appearances under his belt at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, equating to around 47 per season. Last term, he hit 20 goal contributions across all competitions, including 14 in League One. This campaign, he scored in Leam Richardson’s first two matches in charge, part of seven goal involvements in 43 third-tier encounters.
When Savage lined up against the Imps last month, on the day we clinched promotion to the Championship, he started in a central attacking midfield role. Incidentally, that was the final time he played the full 90 minutes this season, making way at half-time in their defeat against Doncaster Rovers. Before they clashed with Cardiff, who also won promotion at the home of the Berkshire outfit, Reading revealed that he was suffering from a foot/plantar fascia issue that kept him out of their final three matches.
Is This A Realistic Rumour?
While I said the source is reputable, chasing a top League One player with other Championship teams interested feels unlikely. It’s nice to be in the conversation, but it’s hard to imagine a world where the Imps would be able to get this deal over the line ahead of second-tier outfits with greater budgets (there’s the magic word again).
Also, Reading were believed to be holding out for an offer well in excess of £1.5m in the January transfer window. That price certainly puts City out of the equation as things stand. That figure is over four times higher than the believed fee that Ivan Varfolomeev demanded last summer. Finances will change with promotion, and further still, depending on player sales, notably if the magic man himself, Jack Moylan, were to leave.
But this doesn’t feel like a move that the Imps will make, particularly with such a strong set of midfielders currently in the squad. Dislodging either Conor McGrandles or Ivan from their central midfield partnership would be extremely tough. Depth will be needed next season, and Savage might be able to break into one of the three attacking midfield roles in our 4-2-3-1 formation. However, he’s unlikely to be lining up in red and white at Sincil Bank next season. It does make sense for us to keep tabs on such a player if our own key assets were to be sold this summer.
Comments Welcome!