Latvian Winger Passes Reading FC Medical

After it emerged that the 23-year-old had gone AWOL and left training for Polish team KS Cracovia without permission, the rumour mill went into overdrive with regard to his whereabouts.

It appeared to The Tilehurst End that Rakels had gone to Spain possibly to train with another club ahead of a move, however now it appears that the player had indeed travelled to England, completing a medical with the Royals last Thursday according to Eurosport.

Since then the player has trained with the Cracovia reserves while the first-team take on a training camp on the Iberian peninsula, which in turn explains the Spanish suggestions over his location. In the mean-time, the Latvian is set to be fined by his club for leaving without permission.

All that is needed for the transfer to be completed, then, is Reading to pay the €500,000 release clause to the Polish club. That, however, seems to be dependant on Orlando Sa sealing a move away from Berkshire, as Brian McDermott's post-match comments hitherto made clear. Whether the Portuguese forward moves to Athens, Atalanta, or elsewhere remains to be seen.

For now, Reading fans must wait although they can take heart from a recent fans survey in Poland that named Rakels as the best right-winger of the season so far in the Ekstraklasa. That's something.