George Evans Exit Confirmed

After two and a half years as a Royal, George Evans has today secured a permanent transfer to Derby County for an undisclosed fee. Rumours about a possible Madejski Stadium departure for the 23-year-old began a few weeks ago, but back then it seemed as though Sunderland was his most likely destination. Indeed, the Black Cats had a bid accepted by Reading, but Evans rejected a move with Championship interest having emerged.

Derby were the side that provided that interest, and the Rams confirmed his arrival on a three year deal today. The fee is undisclosed, but Sky Sports reported on Sunday that it was in the region of £1 million.

Having been in the Manchester City academy since the age of six, the midfielder became only the second player in the club’s history to wear the sky blue shirt at all levels from under-8 to the senior team, before he moved to Berkshire in January 2016.

In total, Evans played 72 games for Reading, scoring four goals - most notably a 92nd minute winning strike in a 3-2 win over Blackburn Rovers in the 2016/17 season. He also played every single minute in the play-offs that campaign, marshalling Tom Cairney particularly well in the fixtures against Fulham.

However, Evans started just once following the arrival of Paul Clement as manager in March and with David Meyler joining an already packed midfield this summer, he was always going to find opportunities hard to come by in the new campaign.

Best of luck George!