Sa Edging Closer To Exit?

It looks like the Portuguese's time in Berkshire could be coming to a close. As reported by Greek news site News 24 a few days ago, AEK Athens are close to agreeing a loan move for Sa, with the only hold-up being that Reading are waiting on a replacement before allowing their man to leave.

That replacement looks increasingly like being Yann Kermorgant of Bournemouth, a veteran striker at this level who'd fill a similar role in the team as Sa. Looking at things logically, that makes a lot of sense - with Matej Vydra and Simon Cox the only other recognised forwards at the club (no Hal, you don't count) - it's sensible to keep hold of Sa until reinforcements come in.

The article also references two interesting reasons as to why AEK Athens feel confident of getting their man. Firstly, Sa reportedly specifically wants to leave Reading. Although News 24 doesn't give a reason for that, I'd wager that it's something to do with how poorly he's settled in the squad. Both game time and form have been in short supply for the ex-Fulham man.

Secondly, the article claims that Brian McDermott doesn't want Sa at the club either - as evidenced by the manager only starting Sa once since returning to the club. Naturally, that could explain the first reason - if the manager doesn't like you, why stay?

On the whole, I'm not too disappointed by this news, should it pan out to be true. Despite an encouraging start to his Reading career, Orlando Sa never really got going. Then again, I do feel a bit sorry for him, as his opportunities have been somewhat limited recently, only playing the full 90 on two occasions since the defeat at Fulham.

You can find the original article here. It was translated using Google Translate.