Nigel Adkins is set to become the next manager of Reading and will be officially unveiled in a press conference on Tuesday morning.
Reading sacked Brian McDermott a couple of weeks ago and were heavily interested in Brighton & Hove Albion manager Gus Poyet. The Royals pursued him till last week but after Poyet rejected their advances, the Berkshire club swiftly moved on to appoint Adkins.
Adkins was relieved from his job at Southampton in January after falling-out with Chairman Nicola Cortese and was replaced by Mauricio Pochettino. His tenure at Southampton can be considered a success after he led the Saints to back-to-back promotions to the Premier League in the past two seasons.
His proven track record is considered to be the central reason why Reading owner Anton Zingarevich signed his appointment. The Russian businessman considers him as a manager with intelligence having good work ethics, and thereby he is seen as a natural fit for the club.
Reading is tied at the bottom of the table with same points with QPR are facing the glaring prospect of relegation. Adkins will be primarily asked to carry the team to the path of safety but failing to do so won’t cost him his job as the owner is expected to back him with cash (something which McDermott didn’t enjoy) to bolster the squad in the English Championship which in turn will help Reading to return back to Premier League quickly.
With only eight games left to go, the task of carrying Reading (lag seven points off safety) to safe zone is not only herculean but close to impossible as well. Reading travel to Arsenal on Saturday and will face Southampton the following weekend – a match that Adkins will be looking forward to proving a point or two against his ex-employers.
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