Free agent deal could see Leyton Orient make Reading FC’s millions | OneFootball

Orient could look to make a big move for Ejaria, who was once a serious talent on Reading's books.

Leyton Orient are currently running on all cylinders in 2025.

Having just secured an FA Cup fourth round tie with Premier League Champions Manchester City, the O's are also in the hat for the Vertu Trophy Quarter Finals and sit eighth in League One - a mere four points from the play-off places.

Given the position the club are in, fans are eager to see investment into the side this January to keep the momentum going throughout the rest of the season.

The latest name to be linked to the O's is attacking midfielder Ovie Ejaria, who departed Reading in late 2023 and hasn't found a club since.

Martin Ling confirms interest in Ejaria

During an appearance on the Orient Outlook Podcast, Director of Football Martin Ling confirmed Leyton Orient's interest in the attacking midfielder, stating that he, as well as Blackburn Rovers winger Dilan Markanday, were "on the list of players we’re looking at".

Given the club most likely don't have too much money to spend on transfer fees throughout this window, free signings like Ejaria are assumably most financially viable for the club.

Previously, Egyptian side Zamalek decided not to offer Ejaria a permanent deal following a trial period with the side, with Reading's former head of football operations Mark Bowen praising the decision in an interview with Al-Hayat by stating: "The player hasn’t competed in professional matches for about two years, and the club was right to evaluate him carefully, especially since he had a significant knee injury.

"Even if the club had decided to sign him, I would have advised them to offer a contract tied to his performance, linking his compensation to the number of games and minutes he plays. It’s a risky situation, signing a player who hasn’t played competitively in two years."

This would naturally raise concerns for O's fans, as many seem to have doubts over the fitness of Ejaria, as it would inevitably take a period of time for him to return to competitive action and the peak of his powers.

Ejaria commanded a large fee when joining Reading

Ejaria reportedly once cost Reading around £3.5m back in the summer of 2020, after the attacking midfielder made eight appearances for Premier League giants Liverpool in the 2016/17 season and suffered a pair of unsuccessful loan spells at Sunderland and Rangers respectively.

Ejaria initially spent time on loan with the Royals from January 2019 to the end of the 2019/20 season, before signing a four-year deal at the start of the following year.

Reading had some real competition for the midfielder, with Leeds United being linked with Ejaria in 2017 and in 2020. The move was a big one for Reading as it is still currently Reading's sixth-highest fee paid for a player, per Transfermarkt. Given the latter interest from Leeds in the player came at a time when they were a Premier League club, it's safe to say Reading were snapping up a talent that could have been worth much more than the £3.5m quoted.

The midfielder was tipped for bigger things prior to his injury problems, but a number of factors since then led to Reading terminating his contract prematurely in December 2023.

Orient will see Ejaria move as a gamble

Despite any potential injury concerns, it would be hard to deny the ability shown by Ejaria when fit - as he showed his quality in the Championship before his injury troubles began.

The talent shown from his 124-game spell with the Royals should be enough to warrant a gamble for the O's, who seem to be going through a bit of an injury crisis in recent weeks.

If Orient are willing to take the gamble on the move, it could be the move that fires Orient into the play-off mix and, with his quality, possibly even be the key to unlocking promotion. Even if he fails to achieve that with the O's, the potential transfer fee that could be earned might even see the millions that Reading could have recouped land at E10.

For now, it remains to be seen whether the Orient board and management team deem the risk to be worth the potential reward.