It is fair to say that Paul Ince’s tenure as Reading manager will not be fondly remembered, but Royals supporters will be thankful to him for one specific transfer.
After eight years out of employment after being sacked by Blackpool, Ince was given a surprising managerial lifeline by Reading in February 2022 when he was selected as the club’s interim manager following the dismissal of Veljko Paunovic. Ince successfully kept the Royals in the Championship in 2021-22, which earned him the permanent job, but despite a strong start to the following season in which his side emerged as one of the surprise early promotion front-runners, his reign quickly turned sour.
Reading were already in relegation trouble when they were issued with a six-point deduction in April 2023, and Ince was fired shortly after, with many fans believing he should have been freed of his duties far sooner. While few will remember Ince’s time at the Select Car Leasing Stadium fondly, his decision to recruit defender Amadou Mbengue was unquestionably wise, giving the Royals a new cult hero.
Reading hit the jackpot with Amadou Mbengue deal
Mbengue began his career at Metz in his home France, but he left in the summer of 2022 after the club was relegated from Ligue 1. As he began looking for a new club, Mbengue joined Reading on trial, and after impressing Ince and his staff, he signed a short-term contract in September 2022 that would keep him in Berkshire until January 2023.
Ince claimed that Mbengue had been a “real asset” during his trial period, and that he had proven that “he can play a part in what we are trying to achieve in difficult circumstances this season,” but the fact that the Royals did not give him more than a three-month contract suggested they had some reservations about his ability to compete in the Championship. Mbengue initially had to wait for his chance in the team, but despite Reading describing him as a central midfielder in the statement announcing his arrival, he quickly established himself as a regular in the centre of defence, and his contract was extended until the end of the season.
The 23-year-old lost his place in the latter part of the season after Ince’s departure as his side was relegated to League One, but he signed a new two-year contract in the summer, and after an inconsistent start to the 2023-24 season, he starred as the Royals pulled away from relegation danger in the third tier under Ruben Selles following another round of point deductions. While the off-field turmoil persisted at the Select Car Leasing Stadium in what proved to be Dai Yongge’s final year in charge, Reading had a much-improved season on the pitch last season, narrowly missing out on the League One play-offs, and Mbengue was a key factor in their success.
The Royals kept a total of 13 clean sheets in the 37 games in which Mbengue appeared last season, compared to only two shutouts in the games he missed, demonstrating the evident impact he had on the defence, but his performances were not ignored.
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