Reading FC CEO Joe Jacobson has spoken out about the present situation with star player Harvey Knibbs, amid transfer speculation. Knibbs was scheduled to join Championship club Charlton Athletic for a reputed £1.8 million, however the deal fell through during the last stages of negotiations. At a Q&A session at the Purple Turtle, Jacobson stated: “It’s an ever-changing situation.” When management creates valuable assets for the football club, other clubs will naturally be interested.
“Harvey has 37 or 38 goals in the last two years, so higher levels will be quite interested. “Where it’s at at the minute, we’re not quite sure but hopefully he is our player because we value him very, very highly.” Jacobson also said that the team has a backup plan in place in case Knibbs leaves this transfer window.
He added: “But if he isn’t, we have a backup plan ready to go if necessary. Things like that can alter day to day depending on whatever agent or CEO you speak with.” Knibbs did not play a single minute of pre-season for the Royals this summer, missing the early part of the season due to an injury before being pulled from the squad to face Portsmouth due to ongoing negotiations regarding his transfer to Charlton. However, manager Noel Hunt has stated that he will talk with the player before to Reading’s season opener at Lincoln to see whether he will be included in the squad.
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