Reading’s ownership struggles look set to continue after it has emerged a bid to buy the club looks to be on the brink of collapse.
Businessman Rob Couhig had obtained a period of exclusivity with a view to buying the Royals, but that period has now ended without an agreement having been made, according to the Reading Chronicle. The collapse of the deal means the uncertainty over the club looks set to continue with no end in sight for the Berkshire side.
Fans of the club had been hoping a deal could be done to end the reign of unpopular owner Dai Yongge, which has resulted in several protests over the last year. The Chinese billionaire has been at the helm for seven years, which has seen the club face several points deductions for how they have been run as well as relegation to League One.
75-year-old American Couhig, who was previously Chief Executive at Reading’s League One rivals Wycombe Wanderers, has been funding the club in recent months and had been close to a deal to take over at the club. He has now reportedly been paid back the money he put into the club with the buying process now over.
The club’s financial situation now looks increasingly bleak, with no funding appearing to be coming into the club. The Chronicle are reporting that the club are being kept afloat purely through a sell-on fee from the deal to sell former player Michael Olise to Crystal Palace. The Frenchman moved to Bayern Munich in the summer with Reading pocketing some of the transfer fee, which now looks to be keeping them alive.
On the field, this will come as a blow and raise questions over the future of the players and staff. The upheaval looks to have had an effect on league form, with Reading currently lying 13th after a mixed start. The club will be hoping for an end to the upheaval to drive them up the table and end the uncertainty around the future.
Writer’s View
This is devastating news for Reading, and understandably is leading to fears over the club’s very existence. Rob Couhig’s proposed takeover looked like ti would finally stabilise the club and allow them to move forward, but the collapse of the deal only makes the situation more dire.
It’s now unclear how the club will be funded, with Dai Yongge not putting any money into the club. Once the money runs out, there is no obvious way the club will survive with no income propping them up and an owner who looks as if he’s doing everything he can to not sell up. Unless something miraculous happens, it’s sadly hard to look past the possibility of Reading ceasing to exist in the not too distant future.
Rhys Evitts is a freelance journalist who graduated from the University of Lincoln with a degree in Journalism in 2024. Rhys has contributed to the Real EFL since finishing university in June 2024 and also hosts The Real EFL Podcast, and specialises in the Championship and League One.
