Reading FC thought they'd hit the jackpot with Fulham transfer - It was far from it | OneFootball

Sone Aluko failed to hit the heights expected of him after a big-money move to the Madejski Stadium

Sone Aluko had garnered quite the reputation as an elusive playmaker during his early career, with the forward starring for Rangers in the SPL, as well as Hull City and Fulham in the English game.

Having helped the Tigers reach the Premier League in his first season on Humberside, the tricky forward had four years at the MKM Stadium before moving to Craven Cottage, where he dazzled once again after moving to the capital.

This was a player who was hot property at the time, with 17 goal contributions in the 16/17 campaign putting him firmly on Reading’s radar, with the Royals intent on making him theirs the season after.

A reported £7.5 million fee would get the deal over the line in the summer of 2017 before things took a turn for the worse, with the Berkshire side left regretting their big-money move in the years to come.

Sone Alike shines for Fulham before earning Reading move

Fulham were a side that needed some inspiration around a decade ago, as they struggled to adapt to life back in the EFL after suffering relegation two years previous.

Successive lower mid-table finishes in the second tier were a far cry from the side that had gone deep in European competition not too long before, and in the summer of 2016 they craved a new start.

Aluko was one of the names on the transfer target list that they got their hands on during the off-season, with Floyd Ayite, Neeskens Kebano, Stefan Johansen and Denis Odoi also added to their lineup.

Aluko had torn the league apart a few years previous while with Hull, and in his new surroundings he started to do the same again, featuring in all but one game of the league season as Fulham reached the play-offs, and adding a sprinkle of stardust along the way.

Whether he was laying goals on a plate for his teammates or arrowing home efforts off his own accord, the Hounslow-born star was thriving being back on his home turf, with Championship defences running scared of his talents on a weekly basis.

Alas, the momentum that was building around the Cottage came crashing down in the play-off semi-finals, with his future employers Reading edging a tight affair 2-1 on aggregate, before themselves being outdone by Huddersfield Town at the Home of Football.

With both Reading and Fulham looking to go again in the following campaign, the recruitment of Aluko to the Madejski Stadium looked to be a grand piece of business that summer, but hindsight has proven it was nothing but a horror-show.

Sone Aluko form disappears after Reading move

Given their recent financial issues, that £7.5 million fee looks even more perplexing for Reading fans right now, with money splashed around for fun before it all came crashing down in the years to come.

Aluko’s form did nothing to help matters after his high-profile move from one Championship front-runner to another, with Reading finishing the following campaign battling relegation, rather than aiming towards the top.

Patience was afforded to the new man to begin with, but as time went on, there were no signs of Aluko picking up where he left off at the Cottage, with the Berkshire side struggling to get going in the 17/18 campaign.

Two goals in two games at the end of October looked to force some life into both player and club, but those hopes proved to be misguided, with Jaap Stam being replaced by Paul Clement in the dugout, but still the malaise continued.

Before too long, that significant investment was proving even more costly than initially thought for Reading, with the club needing to do something to balance the books, and their misfiring forward was a prime target to be turfed out.

“We are living under Financial Fair Play so for him I suppose it is a very good thing with his salary and financial conditions,” Royals boss Jose Gomes said as Aluko headed to Beijing Renhe in the winter of 2019. “For the club it will help a lot because his are important numbers in our budget.

“I think it was the best solution for everybody. His loan will finish in January. Maybe if he plays well over there they will give him more money and more money to Reading, but it’s speculation right now.”

With the goals drying up and his contribution minimal, Aluko has banished to the Chinese capital, and was rarely seen in a blue and white shirt again for another two years, before reemerging in a post-covid world back in Berkshire.

During his absence, the Royals had turned things around somewhat and were once again competing near the top end of the second tier, with Aluko embracing a role as an impact player as much as anything, with 24 substitute appearances that season.

Nevertheless, it was best for all parties when his contract came to an end that summer, and he could move on, with Ipswich Town happy to take him off their hands as they dropped down into League One.

While the Royals have had plenty of worse tales to tell over recent seasons, the investment in Aluko is a worrying reminder of how they misspent the funds when they were available to them.

That play-off heartache left them chasing a dream, but after they misplaced their faith in a misfiring frontman, the top flight fell out of sight entirely.