Wycombe Wanderers are interested in Reading goalkeeper Joel Pereira, according to Bucks Free Press.
The 28-year-old joined fellow League One side Reading in 2023 after a two-year stint at Dutch club RKC Waalwijk.
Joel Pereira’s Career So Far
The former Portuguese Under-21 international started his career in his home country of Switzerland, before moving to Premier League side Manchester United in 2012.
He spent nine years at United, in the academy, experiencing loan spells at the likes of Rochdale, Hearts of Midlothian and Huddersfield Town, before moving to the Netherlands.
However, in the two seasons he has spent back in England with Reading, he’s made double the number of appearances than he has at any other club, featuring 54 times in two seasons for the Royals, keeping 17 clean sheets.
Whilst his contract does expire in a month, Reading have offered the 28-year-old a new deal at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
His performances in blue and white during a difficult time at Reading has reportedly caught the eye of League One rivals Wycombe.
Wycombe Wanderers Need to Build on Last Season
Following the disappointment of last season’s play-off campaign, after sitting in automatic spots for the majority of the season, new manager Mike Dodd will be looking to add his own stamp on his side going into next season’s 2025/26 campaign.
10 players left Adams Park following the expiry of their contracts, with five further players departing after loan spells at the club. One of those 10 players was Argentine keeper Franco Ravizzoli, who made 52 appearances in the two seasons for the Chairboys, leaving Will Norris, Shamal George and young Laurence Shala as the three goalkeepers left under contract at the club.
Norris made 19 appearances for the club following his deadline day move from Portsmouth, but was prone to the odd mistake, making errors in crucial games against Charlton Athletic and Birmingham City. As a result, it looks like the Chairboys are in the market for another new shotstopper.
If Wanderers want to repeat the same fate as last season, and potentially go all the way, they need to get their transfer business spot on in this summer window.
Writer’s View
Whilst he’s not always had the most game time, Pereira has proved in two seasons that he is a very good shotstopper at League One level.
For Wycombe, although they have three goalkeepers currently under contract, you can see why they are going after the 28-year-old. However, for Reading, losing Pereira would be a big blow, especially after the likes of Harlee Dean, David Button, and Coniah Boyce-Clarke have all been released. This would mean the club would be left with no goalkeepers, and with pre-season less than a month away, that’s not ideal.
