Business complete for January, we tried to do a record deal today #readingfc rdng.co/VqTHRD
— Reading FC (@ReadingFC) January 31, 2013
We might never find out the record deal signing but it is known that Reading were after Tom Ince who would certainly have broken the previous record of £2.5m paid for Emerse Fae. Of course it may have been another player, but judging by recent comments about the Blackpool winger, it's likely that he was the main focus of Nick Hammond's phone calls.
UPDATE: Jonny Fordham from the Reading Post reports that the potential record signing was in fact none other than Gylfi Sigurdsson.
McDermott: We made three bids for Gylfi Sigurdsson bit.ly/WF8DM6 #readingfc #spurs
— Jonny Fordham (@JonnyFordham) February 1, 2013
His article on the Reading Post website says we had three bids for the former Royals midfielder, the last of which was upwards of £10m. How close the deal came to fruition is obviously shrouded in mystery, but with reports that Spurs were in for Leandro Damiao it might be that the collapse of that deal meant Siggy had to stay at White Hart Lane for the time being. If we stay up however, it wouldn't be any surprise to see us make another move for Gylfi in the summer - especially with Spurs already being linked with a summer move for the Brazilian striker.
So it's just outgoings for Reading today, albeit loan deals. Jordan Obita heads to League One side Oldham for a month, Michael Hector has signed for a loan spell with League Two playoff contenders Cheltenham Town, and Karl Sheppard has joined Shamrock Rovers until mid-July. Best of luck to all three at their respective new clubs.
So, to recap the four signings we've made in this window...
Daniel Carrico, Sporting Lisbon, £600k
Hope Akpan, Crawley Town, £300k
Stephen Kelly, Fulham, £1.3m
Nick Blackman, Sheffield United, £1.2m
Are you happy with these signings? Would you have liked to make a statement by signing a big-name/big-money player, or are you happy to stick with the proven "Reading way" for now? Leave your thoughts below...