Nesta Guinness-Walker is a Royal!

Reading have announced the addition of left-back (what’s one of those?) Nesta Guinness-Walker this afternoon, with the 22-year-old joining on a one-year deal!

The defender was released on the expiration of his contract at AFC Wimbledon this summer and with this, he was given the opportunity to train with Paul Ince’s side, linking up with the Royals earlier this month.

With Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill being ruled out of action, this opened up a chance for NGW to impress and it’s an opportunity he certainly took with both hands against West Ham United, shining on the left-hand side against David Moyes’ side during the second half of that tie.

He also appeared against former side Wimbledon and Premier League outfit Brighton and Hove Albion later on this month but with the 22-year-old only getting a very limited chance to prove himself in the latter game, it was previously unclear whether he would be offered terms at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

This is an area where the Royals have desperately needed to strengthen though and another option will also be needed in this area as soon as possible, so the decision to hand him a contract could prove to be a smart one.

One man who is delighted with his latest addition is Paul Ince, who said to the club’s media team: “Nesta has done well during the last few weeks he has been training with us and we have identified in him the hunger to succeed, the ability to perform at this level and a desire to improve and achieve his potential.

“It’s clear our squad needs strength in depth to compete with the rigours of the Championship, so he will be a welcome addition to the first team group going into a very busy first few months of the campaign.”

In my opinion, this is a decent move and the one big positive is the fact he’s signed a one-year deal. This will enable the Royals to make a fair judgement on him before deciding whether he’s good enough to earn an extended stay in Berkshire or not.

At 22, he will only get better so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him flourish during the latter stages of the 2022/23 campaign, even if it takes him a bit of time to adapt to the challenge of playing in the second tier.

He may not have received glowing praise from quite a few Wimbledon supporters but this is a fresh start for the young defender and as someone that has played as a wing-back several times before, he could be a much-needed addition at the SCL!

Our work can’t stop now though, with one more left wing-back, a forward-thinking midfielder and a striker (if George Puscas leaves) all arguably needed as well as Naby Sarr and Mamadou Loum.

For now though, all that’s left to do is welcome Nesta to the Royals! Signing number eight is in the building.