"He's a game changer" - "Surprise" claim made on Reading FC star Ben Elliott | OneFootball

The versatile midfielder has been superb so far this season, and is quickly becoming a key player for Ruben Selles.

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...

Reading have been brilliant in 2024/25, and their performances on the pitch have given supporters something to cheer about after years of off-field issues plaguing the club.

Ruben Selles has got the Royals into the top six after 12 games, level on points with Huddersfield Town, who sit 5th, but they have played a game more than the Berkshire club.

It has been an excellent start to the season, and they have become an early contender for a play-off position come the end of the campaign.

Selles has worked with a very young squad, limited in numbers, but he has not allowed this to be an excuse, and currently Reading are working miracles on the pitch, as the team and supporters try to make the best out of a very dismal situation.

2023 summer signing finally starting to show his worth

While it was a season without expectation, the players on the pitch have given the Select Car Leasing Stadium crowd the chance to believe in something once again, and they have perhaps shocked other clubs with the way they have gone about their business so far.

Brave, fearless and hard-working, a lot of praise can be thrown at this current iteration of Royals players, and they do deserve a lot of credit for putting off-field issues behind them and going out and playing their game every week.

There have been a number of players who have stunned supporters this season, but when asked by Football League World who has surprised him the most, Reading Fan Pundit, Johnny Hunt, picked out one star.

He told FLW: "I think the whole team continues to surprise me, you know, from where we're at with the size of the squad and the number of players that we can choose from.

"I think the one that is finally showing his true ability is Ben Elliott. I think last season he didn’t really perform because he was out injured for a long while, and he wasn't up to speed, but now he's had a good pre-season, he's fit, and he's a game changer as he was on Saturday, and I'm looking forward to seeing someone like him getting better and better the more time he plays."

Johnny continued: "You still have to manage his game-time a little bit so that you don't ruin all the good work that he’s done, but I think he's a player that you know there's still a lot more to come from.

"We know about all the other players, and I think Charlie Savage is the same. As he gets more game-time, he’ll get better, he'll get more experience. Lewis Wing, obviously, is at the level we know he’s at, Sam Smith and Harvey Knibbs the same, but then Ben Elliott's the one to watch out of all of our squad. That's what he can continue to do."

Elliott is starting to prove himself in midfield

While last season was an inconsistent one for the 21-year-old, this year has been a lot more comfortable one for him, and he has been able to show what he is able to do on the pitch more regularly.

With two goals and two assists to his name, he is starting to show a bit of a goal threat, and although this can still be improved on, he is starting to develop into one of the division's most exciting prospects.

Elliott put in a stunning display against Bristol Rovers on Saturday, setting up Smith for the only goal of the game, and it is performances like that one that will only endear him more to not only fans, but also his manager, as he looks for his young players to step up and be brave.

There is a lack of experience in this Reading side, but as we have seen with Sunderland in the Championship this season, that should not be a negative, and, in fact, it potentially gives the Royals an advantage over their opponents, as they have nothing to lose.

Elliott created three chances against the Gas at the weekend, and was a constant threat from midfield, with his movement extremely difficult to contain. Performances like that will only breed more confidence into him as he looks to become a key player in Reading's push for promotion.