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There’s been a big shake-up behind the scenes at Reading, with Brian Tevreden leaving his position as Technical Director. The Dutchman becomes CEO of KSV Roeselare, a Belgian team under the control of Royals part-owner Dai Xiu Li. In his place, the club have appointed Gianluca Nani as Sporting Director - side point, note the slight difference in wording.
The news came out pretty quickly after a piece on Football.London (where Get Reading is now hosted) which claims relations between Tevreden and Chief Executive Ron Gourlay have severely deteriorated.
Tevreden joined the club in early 2016 when Reading were owned by the Thai consortium, with Nigel Howe - someone Tevreden worked well with - the then-CEO. However, Gourlay has reportedly been far harder to work with; key decisions around recruitment, contracts and even the sacking of Jaap Stam all being made behind the Technical Director’s back. The article even says:
“A number of signings were also brought in this summer without the technical director having a say, signings that go against the youthful philosophy Tevreden has publicly spoken about since his arrival in 2016.”
On Tevreden - I understand he told the #readingfc owners months ago that he couldn’t work with Gourlay. Only agreed to remain until a replacement found. Owners didn’t want to lose him so moved him to Belgium. Morale on the floor behind the scenes at the club with RG in charge.
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) September 12, 2018
Attendances down, commercial director gone and not replaced, marketing department about to disappear, long-serving academy manager gone, youth coaches leaving, scouting and recruitment team all but non-existent now. #ReadingFC chief executive doing a sterling job........
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) September 12, 2018
This all comes after Ron Gourlay spoke to the local media recently to address the fans’ concerns - you can catch up on all that at The Wokingham Paper right here.
Although Tevreden has remained part of the Dais’ footballing network by joining KSV (the siblings also own Beijing Renhe), Football.London’s report notes that Lee Herron, Adam Benson (commercial director), Dara Thomas, Tom Law (both marketing) and various youth coaches have either left or are likely to do so in the future.
Who’s coming in for Tevreden?
Reading have appointed Gianluca Nani as Sporting Director. Born in Rome, the 55 year-old has held a similar position to this current one at Bresica, West Ham United and Watford. Speaking to the official site on his arrival, Nani said:
“I’m really proud to join and now be part of an historic club as glorious as Reading. I will put in all my effort and my knowledge to ensure that the club and its fans enjoy the success they deserve. With hard work, I am truly confident we will have a bright future together.”
TTE wishes Brian Tevreden the best of luck at KSV Roeselare, and welcome Gianluca Nani to the club.
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