Reading FC Keen On Loan For England Starlet

Ahead of transfer deadline day the rumours are coming in thick and fast, and after being linked to Tomi Juric earlier, reports suggest that Reading also want to bring in Reece Oxford on loan from West Ham.

The 18 year old has been looking for a temporary switch away from the London Stadium this month, with Rangers and Nottingham Forest (who have today signed Aaron Tshibola on loan) the two names supposedly fighting for his signature. However, it has emerged tonight that the Royals are also interested, according to this Mirror journalist.

Oxford is yet to make a Premier League appearance this season, but did feature in seven top flight games in 2015-16, including a high-profile debut in a 1-0 win over Arsenal on the opening day of the campaign, before he'd even picked up his GCSE results. The youngster has also earned caps for England at Under-16, U17, U18, U19 and U20 level.

He can play in the centre of defence or just in front of the back four, but you would think Stam would deploy him in the backline if he did arrive at the Madejski Stadium. New signing Tiago Ilori injured his ankle against Fulham, Joey van den Berg was forced off against Cardiff with a hamstring problem, whilst Jake Cooper has been loaned to Millwall, leaving Reading with little defensive cover behind Paul McShane and Liam Moore.

So could we go from chanting our hate for Oxford to chanting our love for Oxford? Let us know your thoughts on the rumour in the comments and remember to keep up to date on deadline day by visiting The Tilehurst End.