"What a waste of talent" - Reading FC, Royston Drenthe claim made | OneFootball

FLW's Royals fan pundit has recalled Royston Drenthe's spell as a particularly unremarkable one considering what was expected of him at the time

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Netherlands international Royston Drenthe has been identified as one of the biggest transfer flops in Reading's history, after he signed for the club with a big reputation in 2013.

Drenthe was thought to be the next big thing in Dutch football as a youngster coming through the ranks at Feyenoord, and joined Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2007 at 20-years-old, but failed to ever become a regular at the Bernabeu and so went on loan numerous times, including to Premier League side Everton, before he permanently moved to Russian outfit Alania in 2012.

The left-winger soon made the move back to English football to join the Royals in June 2013, as they looked to challenge at the top of the Championship, following relegation from the Premier League in the previous campaign.

Drenthe was a marquee signing for Reading due to his reputation as a highly-rated talent in years prior, but failed to ever really live up to the hype at the Madejski Stadium and only completed one season as a Royals' player as they failed to secure promotion back to the top-flight.

Royston Drenthe failed to live up to Reading's expectations

Drenthe became known more for his eccentric lifestyle off the football pitch and poor attitude to training in his time at Madrid and with Everton, yet his signing was still a huge coup for Reading to secure as they looked to bounce back to the top-flight, and he insisted upon arrival that he was ready to "prove (himself) again" in England.

The then-26-year-old displayed some impressive performances for the Royals on occasion, but was still too inconsistent and made just 17 league starts in 24 appearances in his maiden campaign at the club, before he was told to leave in July 2014 and departed on loan to Sheffield Wednesday that summer.

As a result of his lack of impact at the Madejski Stadium, FLW's Reading fan pundit, Johnny Hunt, identified Drenthe when he was asked which was the most notable player that had arrived at the club with lots of hype, but ultimately under-delivered.

“We’ve brought in players with a lot of hype or for a lot of money in recent times; George Puscas and Sone Aluko (for example)," Johnny told FLW.

“I’d go for one, just on name and history as a player, Royston Drenthe.

“He joined us in 2013 as an ex-Real Madrid and Everton player and ex-Dutch wonderkid, and it was like ‘wow’, because not many ex-Real Madrid players have played for Reading.

“We were all thinking that he must be good, but I think we soon realised that there was a lot of hype, but not a lot of substance to his performances.

“I think his lifestyle and a few other things meant that football wasn’t the biggest thing for him.

“(He was a) lovely guy, very friendly, but just didn’t cut it and became one of these cult figures that didn’t really do much.

“I suppose how his career panned out from there proved what a waste of talent it was, because he had clear ability when he was younger.”

Drenthe's career never reached the heights it should have

Drenthe probably wondered how he had found himself in the second-tier of English football so soon after being regarded as one of the best upcoming talents in the world, but it was really testament to his lack of consistent effort at each club, which carried on at Reading and then at Wednesday, where he lasted just six months before a permanent move to Turkish side Kayseri Erciyesspor.

The Dutchman went on to play in the UAE Pro League for Baniyas Club, then returned to his native country to play for Sparta Rotterdam and Kozakken Boys, and also featured for Racing Murcia and Real Murcia in the Spanish lower leagues.

He brought his mercurial career to an end in November last year after another spell back at Dutch amateur club Kozakken, and his years in the wilderness after leaving Reading probably mean that, in hindsight, it was no surprise that he struggled to ever live up to the hype that was around his signature in 2013.