# 2021–22 Reading F.C. season

The 2021–22 season was Reading's 151st year in existence and ninth consecutive season in the Championship, and covered the period from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022.

## Season review
### Pre-season

On 24 June 2021, the 2021–22 season EFL Championship fixture list was released, with Reading beginning their campaign away at Stoke City, and finishing the season away to Luton Town. Later on the same day, Reading were drawn at home to Swansea City in the First Round of the 2021–22 EFL Cup.
On 15 July, Readings proposed friendly against Aberdeen scheduled for Friday 16 July, was cancelled after two members of staff and one player returned positive COVID-19 tests.
On 16 July, the Madejski Stadium's naming rights were sold to title sponsors Select Car Leasing in a 10-year deal, with the stadium being renamed the 'Select Car Leasing Stadium'.

#### Transfers and contracts

On 25 May 2021, Reading announced that they had activated a clause in Thierry Nevers' contract, extending his contract until the summer of 2022 whilst also confirming he would be joining West Ham United for an undisclosed fee once the transfer window opens on 9 June 2021.
On 29 June, Reading announced that Tom McIntyre had signed a new contract with the club, until the summer of 2024.
On 2 July, Reading announced that they had signed new one-year contracts with youngsters, Femi Azeez and James Holden, whilst Lynford Sackey, Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan, Harvey Collins, Kian Leavy and Malachi Talent-Aryeetey all signed their first professional contracts with the club.
On 8 July, Reading confirmed that Michael Olise had left the club to sign for Crystal Palace for a record fee received by the club. On the same day, young goalkeeper Coniah Boyce-Clarke joined Bath City to train with and feature in the forthcoming pre-season games. On 13 July, Reading confirmed that Jökull Andrésson was currently training with Morecambe with permission to feature in two of their pre-season friendlies.
On 20 July, Under-23 goalkeeper James Holden, joined Maidenhead United on a season-long loan deal.
On 23 July, Jökull Andrésson signed a new three-year contract with the club, before moving to Morecambe on a season-long loan deal.
On 28 July, Nahum Melvin-Lambert returned to St Patrick's Athletic on loan for the second half of the 2021 League of Ireland Premier Division season.

### August

On 12 August, Tom Dele-Bashiru joined Reading on a season-long loan deal from Watford. The following day, 13 August, Reading announced that Marc McNulty had returned to Dundee United on loan for the season.
On 19 August, Reading announced the signing of Junior Hoilett to a one-year contract. The following day, 20 August, Jeriel Dorsett joined Rochdale on a season-long loan deal. On the same day, young academy defender Jack Senga joined Maidenhead United on a work experience loan deal.
On 27 August, Reading announced the signing of Alen Halilović to a one-year contract after he'd left Birmingham City in the summer, and the season-long loan signing of Baba Rahman Chelsea.
On 30 August, Reading announced the signing of Scott Dann to a one-year contract, after he'd left Crystal Palace in the summer, whilst Danny Drinkwater join on a season-long loan from Chelsea later in the same day.

### October

On 21 October, Reading announced that they had signed former Chelsea youth team player Rashawn Scott to their Under-23 team until the end of the season, whilst Academy Graduate Michael Stickland had committed to signing his first professional contract with the club come the completion of his scholarship in the summer.

### November

On 1 November, manager Veljko Paunović tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in him isolating and assistant manager Marko Mitrović taking charger of the first team for their trip to Millwall on 2 November and Birmingham City on 6 November.
On 15 November, Reading announced the signing of Andy Carroll on a short-term contract until mid-January 2022.
On 17 November, Reading accepted a six-point penalty deduction from the EFL, dropping them from 16th to 19th, for breaking the EFL's Profit and Sustainability limits, with a further six-points suspended until the 2022–23 season.
On 19 November, Coniah Boyce-Clarke joined St Albans City on an initial one-month youth loan.

### December

On 6 December, Reading were drawn away to Kidderminster Harriers in the Third Round of the 2021–22 FA Cup.
On 15 December, Reading's match against Luton Town scheduled for 18 December, was postponed due to positive COVID-19 cases within the First Team and Under-23 squads. Six days later, 21 December, Reading's away game at Peterborough United scheduled for 26 December, was also postponed due to COVID-19 within the First Team and Under-23 squads. On 27 December, Readings home match against Fulham was also cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation at the club.
On 29 December, Reading announced that their postponed trip to Peterborough United had been rescheduled for 15 February 2022. The following day, Reading confirmed their postponed match against Fulham would be played on 11 January 2022, and on 31 December, Reading confirmed that their postponed match against Luton Town had been rescheduled for 19 January 2022.

### January

On 8 January, Reading suffered a shock 2–1 defeat to National League North side Kidderminster Harriers in the FA Cup.
On 10 January, Readings home match against Stoke City, scheduled for 15 February, was postponed due to Stoke City progressing to the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, and young goalkeepers Jökull Andrésson and James Holden were recalled from their loan spells with Morecambe and Maidenhead United.
On 15 January, Reading were defeat 2-1 by away at Middlesbrough, with Andy Carroll scoring the goal in what was he last appearance for the club, with his short-term contract ending the same day. Later the same day, Liam Moore was stripped of the Club Captaincy after stating his desire to leave the club.
On 17 January, Rafael Cabral left the club after his contract was terminated by mutual consent allowing him to return to Brazil.
On 24 January, Reading announced the signing of Karl Hein on loan from Arsenal until the end of the season. On 27 January, Reading announced that their postponed home fixture against Stoke City, originally scheduled for 15 February, had been rearranged for 5 April. On the same day, Reading's away trip to Peterborough United, scheduled for 15 February, had been pushed back 24hours after it was picked to be shown live on Sky Sports.
On 31 January, Transfer Deadline Day, George Pușcaș joined Pisa on loan for the remainder of the season, whilst Tom Ince joined Reading on loan for the remainder of the season from Stoke City, with Liam Moore going the opposite direction on loan for the same length.

### February

On 15 February, Reading announced the signing of free agent Brandon Barker on a contract until the end of the season.
On 18 February, Harvey Collins joined Walton Casuals on a one-month youth loan deal.
Following Reading's 3-2 away victory over Preston North End, Veljko Paunović left his role as Manager by mutual consent, with Paul Ince being placed in interim charge of the club alongside Academy Manager Michael Gilkes.
On 22 February, Alex Rae was appointed interim Assistant Manager.

### March

On 4 March, Scott Dann extended his contract with the club until the summer of 2023.
On 9 March, Paul Ince confirmed that Karl Hein had returned to Arsenal after a finger injury had ruled him out for the remainder of the season. The following day, Reading confirmed Hein's season ending injury, and announced the signing of free agent Ørjan Nyland on a short-term contract until the end of the season.
On 11 March, Lucas João was announced as the EFL Championship player of the month for February.
On 18 March, Coniah Boyce-Clarke joined Welling United on loan for the remainder of the season.
On 24 March, Reading announced the singing of Terell Thomas on a short-term contract until the end of the season. The following day Reading announced that Jack Senga and Kelvin Abrefa had signed their first professional contracts with the club, until the summer of 2024.

### May

On 4 May, Reading hosted an end of season gala dinner, where Andy Yiadom was announced as the clubs Player of the Season.
On the final day of the season, whilst the first-team faced Luton Town at Kenilworth Road, Readings U23 team won the 2021–22 Berks & Bucks Senior Cup, defeating Ascot United with goals from Ajani Giscombe, Imari Samuels and a Nahum Melvin-Lambert brace.
On 16 May, Paul Ince was confirmed as Reading's permanent manager, with Mark Bowen also returning to the club as Head of Football Operations.
On 20 May, Reading confirmed that they had offered new contracts to Tom Holmes, Josh Laurent, Andy Rinomhota, Femi Azeez and Andy Yiadom, whilst also confirming the departure of loanees Danny Drinkwater, Tom Dele-Bashiru, Baba Rahman, Tom Ince and Karl Hein. Additionally the club confirmed that Terell Thomas, Brandon Barker, Ørjan Nyland, Felipe Araruna, Alen Halilović and Marc McNulty would leave the club upon the expiry of their contract at the end of June and the contract discussions where on going with Junior Hoilett, Michael Morrison and John Swift. Reading also offered new professional contracts to under-23 players Nelson Abbey, Jeriel Dorsett, Imari Samuels, Claudio Osorio, Kian Leavy, Rashawn Scott, Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan and Nahum Melvin-Lambert, and to under-18 players Mamadi Camara, Jahmari Clarke, Tyrell Ashcroft and Louie Holzman. Pro terms where also offered to Hamid Abdel Salam, Sam Paul, Matthew Rowley and Benjamin Purcell, with Ajani Giscombe, Harvey Maudner and David Nyarko also having their contracts extended for an additional year. The club also confirmed the departure of Ethan Bristow, James Holden, Lynford Sackey and Malachi Talent-Aryeetey while Jordan Addo-Antoine.

### June

On 15 June, the EFL released the Retained List for each club, which confirmed contract renewals for Jahmari Clarke, Tyrell Ashcroft, Louie Holzman, Harvey Collins, Hamid Abdel-Salam, Sam Paul, Matt Rowley, Benjamin Purcell, Jeriel Dorsett and Kian Leavy.
On 17 June, Tom Holmes and Andy Yiadom both signed a new three-year contracts with Reading.
On 22 June, Reading confirmed that Michael Stickland, Louie Holzman, Kian Leavy and Jeriel Dorsett had all signed new contracts.
On 24 June, Reading announced that Mamadi Camará, Rashawn Scott, Nelson Abbey, Matt Rowley, Sam Paul, Benjamin Purcell and Claudio Osorio had all signed new contracts with the club for the 2022-23 season.

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 19 August 2021 | FW | Junior Hoilett | Unattached | Free |
| 27 August 2021 | MF | Alen Halilović | Unattached | Free |
| 30 August 2021 | DF | Scott Dann | Unattached | Free |
| 21 October 2021 | MF | Rashawn Scott | Unattached | Free |
| 15 November 2021 | FW | Andy Carroll | Unattached | Free |
| 15 February 2022 | MF | Brandon Barker | Unattached | Free |
| 10 March 2022 | GK | Ørjan Nyland | Unattached | Free |
| 24 March 2022 | DF | Terell Thomas | Unattached | Free |

### Loans in

| Start date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| 12 August 2021 | MF | Tom Dele-Bashiru | Watford | End of season |
| 27 August 2021 | DF | Baba Rahman | Chelsea | End of season |
| 30 August 2021 | MF | Danny Drinkwater | Chelsea | End of season |
| 24 January 2022 | GK | Karl Hein | Arsenal | 9 March 2022 |
| 31 January 2022 | FW | Tom Ince | Stoke City | End of season |

### Out

| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
| 25 May 2021† | FW | | Thierry Nevers | West Ham United | Undisclosed | |
| 8 July 2021 | MF | | Michael Olise | Crystal Palace | Undisclosed | |
    † Nevers' move was announced on the above date, but was not active until 9 June 2021.

### Loans out

| Start date | Position | Name | To | End date |
| 20 July 2021 | GK | James Holden | Maidenhead United | 10 January 2022 |
| 23 July 2021 | GK | Jökull Andrésson | Morecambe | 10 January 2022 |
| 28 July 2021 | FW | Nahum Melvin-Lambert | St Patrick's Athletic | November 2021 |
| 13 August 2021 | FW | Marc McNulty | Dundee United | End of season |
| 20 August 2021 | DF | Jeriel Dorsett | Rochdale | End of season |
| 20 August 2021 | MF | Jack Senga | Maidenhead United | Work Experience |
| 19 November 2021 | GK | Coniah Boyce-Clarke | St Albans City | 19 December 2021 |
| 31 January 2022 | FW | George Pușcaș | Pisa | End of season |
| 31 January 2022 | DF | Liam Moore | Stoke City | End of season |
| 18 February 2022 | GK | Harvey Collins | Walton Casuals | 18 March 2022 |
| 18 March 2022 | GK | Coniah Boyce-Clarke | Welling United | End of season |

### Released

| Date | Position | Name | Joined | Date |
| 15 January 2022 | FW | Andy Carroll | West Bromwich Albion | 28 January 2022 |
| 17 January 2022 | GK | Rafael Cabral | Cruzeiro | 18 January 2022 |
| 18 May 2022† | GK | James Holden | Cambridge United | 1 July 2022 |
| 26 May 2022† | MF | John Swift | West Bromwich Albion | 1 July 2022 |
| 14 June 2022† | DF | Ethan Bristow | Tranmere Rovers | 1 July 2022 |
| 16 June 2022† | DF | Lynford Sackey | Bolton Wanderers | 1 July 2022 |
| 21 June 2022† | MF | Josh Laurent | Stoke City | 1 July 2022 |
| 24 June 2022† | MF | Andy Rinomhota | Cardiff City | 1 July 2022 |
| 30 June 2022† | MF | Brandon Barker | AC Omonia | 1 July 2022 |
| 30 June 2022 | GK | Ørjan Nyland | RB Leipzig | 9 October 2022 |
| 30 June 2022 | DF | Jordan Addo-Antoine | Aldershot Town | |
| 30 June 2022 | DF | Tyrell Ashcroft | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 July 2022 |
| 30 June 2022 | DF | Michael Morrison | Portsmouth | 26 July 2022 |
| 30 June 2022 | DF | Imari Samuels | Brighton & Hove Albion | 5 August 2022 |
| 30 June 2022 | DF | Terell Thomas | Charlton Athletic | 7 September 2022 |
| 30 June 2022 | MF | Felipe Araruna | | |
| 30 June 2022 | MF | Alen Halilović | HNK Rijeka | 6 July 2022 |
| 30 June 2022 | MF | Blesk Ekpenyong | TSV Meerbusch | |
| 30 June 2022 | MF | Malachi Talent-Aryeetey | Langley | 15 October 2022 |
| 30 June 2022 | FW | Princewill Ehibhatiomhan | Southampton | 31 March 2023 |
| 30 June 2022 | FW | Marc McNulty | Orange County SC | 19 January 2023 |
    † Transfers were announced on the above date, but didn't come into effect until 1 July 2022 once their contracts expired on 30 June 2022.

### Trial

| Date from | Position | Name | Last club | Date to |
| July 2021 | FW | Kyle Edwards | West Bromwich Albion | 25 July 2021 |
| July 2021 | DF | Achraf Lazaar | Watford | |
| July 2021 | MF | Kadeem Harris | Sheffield Wednesday | |
| December 2021 | DF | Brandon Mason | Coventry City | |
| February 2022 | DF | Terell Thomas | Crewe Alexandra | 24 March 2022 |
| February 2022 | MF | Brandon Barker | Rangers | 15 February 2022 |
| April 2022 | MF | Michael Craig | Tottenham Hotspur | 22 June 2022 |

## Squad

    As of match played 7 May 2022
| No. | Name | Position | Date of birth (Age) | Signed from | Signed in | Contract ends | Apps. | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| 1 | Ørjan Nyland | GK | (1990-09-10)10 September 1990 (aged 31) | Unattached | 2022 | 2022 | 10 | 0 |
| 22 | Luke Southwood | GK | (1997-12-06)6 December 1997 (aged 24) | Academy | 2016 | 2023 | 30 | 0 |
| 31 | Coniah Boyce-Clarke | GK | (2003-03-01)1 March 2003 (aged 19) | Academy | 2019 | | 0 | 0 |
| 50 | Harvey Collins | GK | (2002-11-05)5 November 2002 (aged 19) | Academy | 2019 | 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| 3 | Tom Holmes | DF | (2000-03-12)12 March 2000 (aged 22) | Academy | 2017 | 2025 | 75 | 1 |
| 4 | Michael Morrison | DF | (1988-03-03)3 March 1988 (aged 34) | Birmingham City | 2019 | 2022 | 113 | 8 |
| 5 | Tom McIntyre | DF | (1998-11-06)6 November 1998 (aged 22) | Academy | 2016 | 2024 | 64 | 4 |
| 6 | Liam Moore | DF | (1993-01-31)31 January 1993 (aged 29) | Leicester City | 2016 | 2023 | 230 | 8 |
| 12 | Terell Thomas | DF | (1995-10-18)18 October 1995 (aged 26) | Unattached | 2022 | 2022 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | Andy Yiadom | DF | (1991-12-02)2 December 1991 (aged 30) | Barnsley | 2018 | 2025 | 132 | 4 |
| 21 | Baba Rahman | DF | (1994-07-02)2 July 1994 (aged 27) | loan from Chelsea | 2021 | 2022 | 29 | 0 |
| 24 | Scott Dann | DF | (1987-02-14)14 February 1987 (aged 35) | Unattached | 2021 | 2023 | 18 | 2 |
| 34 | Jeriel Dorsett | DF | (2002-05-04)4 May 2002 (aged 20) | Academy | 2019 | 2023 | 2 | 0 |
| 38 | Michael Stickland | DF | (2002-08-24)24 August 2002 (aged 19) | Academy | 2020 | 2023 | 3 | 0 |
| 41 | Ethan Bristow | DF | (2001-11-27)27 November 2001 (aged 20) | Academy | 2018 | 2022 | 11 | 0 |
| 48 | Tyrell Ashcroft | DF | (2002-03-07)7 March 2002 (aged 20) | Academy | 2020 | 2022 | 4 | 0 |
| 49 | Kelvin Abrefa | DF | (2003-12-09)9 December 2003 (aged 18) | Academy | 2020 | 2024 | 3 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| 7 | Alen Halilović | MF | (1996-06-18)18 June 1996 (aged 25) | Unattached | 2021 | 2022 | 12 | 1 |
| 8 | Andy Rinomhota | MF | (1997-04-21)21 April 1997 (aged 25) | Academy | 2017 | 2022 | 139 | 4 |
| 10 | John Swift | MF | (1995-06-23)23 June 1995 (aged 26) | Chelsea | 2016 | 2022 | 202 | 33 |
| 14 | Ovie Ejaria | MF | (1997-11-18)18 November 1997 (aged 24) | Liverpool | 2020 | 2024 | 119 | 9 |
| 15 | Danny Drinkwater | MF | (1990-03-05)5 March 1990 (aged 32) | loan from Chelsea | 2021 | 2022 | 34 | 1 |
| 16 | Dejan Tetek | MF | (2002-09-24)24 September 2002 (aged 19) | Academy | 2019 | | 21 | 0 |
| 19 | Tom Dele-Bashiru | MF | (1999-09-17)17 September 1999 (aged 22) | loan from Watford | 2021 | 2022 | 39 | 4 |
| 20 | Felipe Araruna | MF | (1996-03-12)12 March 1996 (aged 26) | São Paulo | 2020 | 2022 | 9 | 0 |
| 28 | Josh Laurent | MF | (1995-05-06)6 May 1995 (aged 27) | Shrewsbury Town | 2020 | 2022 | 88 | 5 |
| 32 | Mamadi Camará | MF | (2003-12-31)31 December 2003 (aged 18) | Feirense | 2020 | 2023 | 10 | 0 |
| 33 | Brandon Barker | MF | (1996-10-04)4 October 1996 (aged 25) | Unattached | 2022 | 2022 | 4 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| 9 | Tom Ince | FW | (1992-01-30)30 January 1992 (aged 30) | loan from Stoke City | 2022 | 2022 | 15 | 2 |
| 11 | Yakou Méïté | FW | (1996-02-11)11 February 1996 (aged 26) | Paris Saint-Germain | 2016 | 2023 | 138 | 43 |
| 18 | Lucas João | FW | (1993-09-04)4 September 1993 (aged 28) | Sheffield Wednesday | 2019 | 2023 | 83 | 38 |
| 23 | Junior Hoilett | FW | (1990-06-05)5 June 1990 (aged 31) | Unattached | 2021 | 2022 | 27 | 3 |
| 29 | Marc McNulty | FW | (1992-09-14)14 September 1992 (aged 29) | Coventry City | 2018 | 2022 | 17 | 1 |
| 30 | Femi Azeez | FW | (2001-06-05)5 June 2001 (aged 20) | Wealdstone | 2019 | 2022 | 15 | 2 |
| 39 | Jahmari Clarke | FW | (2003-08-17)17 August 2003 (aged 18) | Academy | 2020 | 2022 | 13 | 2 |
| 47 | George Pușcaș | FW | (1996-04-08)8 April 1996 (aged 26) | Inter Milan | 2019 | 2024 | 91 | 20 |
| U23 ||||||||||
| 35 | Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan | FW | (2002-04-23)23 April 2002 (aged 20) | Academy | 2021 | 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| 36 | Claudio Osorio | MF | (2002-09-26)26 September 2002 (aged 19) | Academy | 2019 | 2023 | 2 | 0 |
| 37 | Kian Leavy | MF | (2002-03-21)21 March 2002 (aged 20) | Academy | 2019 | 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| 40 | James Holden | GK | (2001-09-04)4 September 2001 (aged 20) | Bury | 2019 | 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | Lynford Sackey | DF | (2003-02-18)18 February 2003 (aged 19) | Academy | 2019 | 2022 | 2 | 0 |
| 43 | Nelson Abbey | DF | (2003-08-28)28 August 2003 (aged 18) | Academy | 2019 | 2023 | 2 | 0 |
| 44 | Imari Samuels | DF | (2003-02-05)5 February 2003 (aged 19) | Academy | 2019 | 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| 45 | Benjamin Purcell | MF | (2004-08-25)25 August 2004 (aged 17) | Academy | 2020 | 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| 46 | Jack Senga | MF | (2004-01-27)27 January 2004 (aged 18) | Academy | 2020 | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| 51 | Louie Holzman | DF | (2003-11-16)16 November 2003 (aged 18) | Academy | 2020 | 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| 52 | Rashawn Scott | MF | (2004-03-22)22 March 2004 (aged 18) | Unattached | 2021 | 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| | Jökull Andrésson | GK | (2001-08-25)25 August 2001 (aged 20) | Academy | 2018 | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| | Kacper Kowalczyk | GK | (2001-09-18)18 September 2001 (aged 20) | Stal Rzeszów | 2022 | | 0 | 0 |
| | Louis Hutchings | MF | (2002-07-22)22 July 2002 (aged 19) | Academy | 2021 | | 0 | 0 |
| | Malachi Talent-Aryeetey | MF | (2002-09-10)10 September 2002 (aged 19) | Academy | 2019 | 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| | Nahum Melvin-Lambert | FW | (2002-10-21)21 October 2002 (aged 19) | Academy | 2019 | 2022 | 3 | 0 |
| U18 ||||||||||
| | Matt Rowley | GK | (2002-08-12)12 August 2002 (aged 19) | Academy | 2020 | 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| | Jordan Addo-Antoine | DF | (2004-09-10)10 September 2004 (aged 17) | Academy | 2020 | 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| | Boyd Beacroft | DF | | Academy | 2021 | | 0 | 0 |
| | Kyle Daniel-Spray | DF | (2004-12-11)11 December 2004 (aged 17) | Academy | 2020 | | 0 | 0 |
| | Abraham Kanu | DF | (2005-07-03)3 July 2005 (aged 16) | Academy | 2021 | | 0 | 0 |
| | Zion Nditi | DF | | Academy | 2021 | | 0 | 0 |
| | Sam Paul | DF | (2004-01-12)12 January 2004 (aged 18) | Academy | 2020 | 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| | Hamid Abdel-Salam | MF | (2003-10-19)19 October 2003 (aged 18) | Academy | 2020 | 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| | Jacob Borgnis | MF | (2003-05-05)5 May 2003 (aged 19) | Academy | 2021 | | 0 | 0 |
| | Ryley Campbell | MF | (2003-12-29)29 December 2003 (aged 18) | Academy | 2021 | | 0 | 0 |
| | Harrison Furlong | MF | | Academy | 2021 | | 0 | 0 |
| | Ajani Giscombe | MF | (2004-05-12)12 May 2004 (aged 17) | Academy | 2021 | 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| | Troy Murray | MF | (2002-11-06)6 November 2002 (aged 19) | Academy | 2021 | | 0 | 0 |
| | Tom Norcott | MF | | Academy | 2021 | | 0 | 0 |
| | Caylan Vickers | FW | (2004-12-22)22 December 2004 (aged 17) | Academy | 2021 | | 0 | 0 |
| | Ashton Greaver | FW | (2004-08-19)19 August 2004 (aged 17) | Academy | 2021 | | 0 | 0 |
| | Harvey Maudner | FW | (2003-10-07)7 October 2003 (aged 18) | Academy | 2020 | 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| | David Nyarko | FW | (2002-10-07)7 October 2002 (aged 19) | Academy | 2020 | 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| | Jeremiah Okine-Peters | FW | | Academy | 2021 | | 0 | 0 |
| Left during the season ||||||||||
| 9 | Andy Carroll | FW | (1989-01-06)6 January 1989 (aged 33) | Unattached | 2021 | 2022 | 8 | 2 |
| 26 | Karl Hein | GK | (2002-04-13)13 April 2002 (aged 20) | loan from Arsenal | 2022 | 2022 | 5 | 0 |
| 33 | Rafael Cabral | GK | (1990-05-20)20 May 1990 (aged 31) | Sampdoria | 2019 | 2022 | 98 | 0 |
* ↑ Luke Southwood was born in Oxford, England, but qualified to represent Northern Ireland, and made his international debut for Northern Ireland in March 2022, having previously played for England at U20 level.
* ↑ Coniah Boyce-Clarke was born in England, but qualified to represent Jamaica, and made his international debut for Jamaica U20 in June 2022.
* ↑ Tom McIntyre was born in Reading, England, but qualified to represent Scotland, representing them at U17, U20 and U21 level.
* ↑ Liam Moore was born in Loughborough, England, but qualified to represent Jamaica, and made his international debut for Jamaica in March 2021.
* ↑ Terell Thomas was born in Rainham, England, but qualified to represent Saint Lucia, and made his international debut for Saint Lucia in June 2022.
* ↑ Andy Yiadom was born in Holloway, England, but qualified to represent Ghana and made his international debut for Ghana in January 2017. He previously represented England at C level.
* ↑ Kelvin Abrefa was born in Italy to Ghanaian parents, going on to make his debut for Ghana U20 in June 2022.
* ↑ Dejan Tetek was born in Oxford, England to Serbian parents, making his debut for England U18 in 2019, before switching to represent Serbia at U19 in 2022 and U21 in 2021.
* ↑ Tom Dele-Bashiru was born in Manchester, England and represented England at U16 level before switching to represent Nigeria U20 and Nigeria U23 in 2019.
* ↑ Yakou Méïte was born in Paris, France, but qualified to represent the Ivory Coast,and made his international debut for Ivory Coast in March 2019.
* ↑ Lucas João was born in Lisbon, Portugal, and represented Portugal twice in Friendly matches in 2015, before switching international allegiances to Angola in 2022, making his debut for against Guinea-Bissau in March 2022.
* ↑ Jahmari Clarke was born in England, but qualified to represent Jamaica, and made his international debut for Jamaica U20 in June 2022.

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Andy Carroll |
| 26 | GK | EST | Karl Hein (loan return to Arsenal) |
| 33 | GK | BRA | Rafael Cabral |

## Friendlies

In May Reading confirmed their first pre-season friendly, against West Ham United on 21 July, at the Madejski Stadium. Reading's second pre-season friendly was confirmed on 8 June, a behind-closed door meeting with Charlton Athletic at the Madejski Stadium on 24 July. On 21 June, Reading confirmed their first pre-season friendly would be a behind-closed-doors match against Lincoln City on 10 July at their Bearwood Park Training Ground. On 6 July, Reading confirmed that they will travel to Scotland, to face Aberdeen in a behind-closed doors friendly at their Cormack Park training ground on 16 July. On 15 July, Reading confirmed their last pre-season friendly would be a home match against Crystal Palace on 31 July, a week before the new Championship season kicks off.
At the end of the season, Reading hosted a charity match between their 2005–06 Championship winning team and their 2011–12 Championship winning team as part of their 150th anniversary celebrations.

## Competitions
### Overview

| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| EFL Championship | 7 August 2021 | 7 May 2022 | Matchday 1 | 21st | 46 | 13 | 8 | 25 | 54 | 87 | −33 | 028.26 |
| FA Cup | 8 January 2022 | 8 January 2022 | Third round | Third round | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 000.00 |
| EFL Cup | 10 August 2021 | 10 August 2021 | First round | First round | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 000.00 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 48 | 13 | 8 | 27 | 55 | 92 | −37 | 027.08 |
Last updated: 7 May 2022 Source: Competitions

### Championship

On 24 June, the 2021–22 season EFL Championship fixture list was released, with Reading beginning their campaign away at Stoke City, and finishing the season away to Luton Town.

#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 18 | Cardiff City | 46 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 50 | 68 | −18 | 53 | |
| 19 | Hull City | 46 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 41 | 54 | −13 | 51 | |
| 20 | Birmingham City | 46 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 50 | 75 | −25 | 47 | |
| 21 | Reading | 46 | 13 | 8 | 25 | 54 | 87 | −33 | 41 | |
| 22 | Peterborough United (R) | 46 | 9 | 10 | 27 | 43 | 87 | −44 | 37 | Relegation to EFL League One |
| 23 | Derby County (R) | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 45 | 53 | −8 | 34 | Relegation to EFL League One |
| 24 | Barnsley (R) | 46 | 6 | 12 | 28 | 33 | 73 | −40 | 30 | Relegation to EFL League One |
* ↑ Reading were deducted 6 points for breach of profit and sustainability regulations.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000170-QINU`"'
* ↑ Derby County were deducted 12 points for entering administration,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000172-QINU`"' and a further 9 points for financial irregularities.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000173-QINU`"'

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 7 May 2022. Source: Results

#### Results by matchday

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
| Ground | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A |
| Result | L | W | L | L | L | D | W | W | W | L | W | W | L | L | L | L | W | D | L | W | D | L | D | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | D | W | W | L | L | L | D | W | D | W | L | W | D | L | L | L |
| Position | 19 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
* ↑ Between matchday 17 and 18, Reading were deducted 6 points.
* ↑ matchday 26
* ↑ matchday 25
* ↑ matchday 27
* ↑ matchday 23
* ↑ matchday 28
* ↑ matchday 29
* ↑ matchday 31
* ↑ matchday 32
* ↑ matchday 24
* ↑ matchday 33
* ↑ matchday 34
* ↑ matchday 35
* ↑ matchday 36
* ↑ matchday 37
* ↑ matchday 38
* ↑ matchday 39
* ↑ matchday 40
* ↑ matchday 30

#### Results
### EFL Cup

On 24 June, Reading were drawn at home to Swansea City in the First Round of the 2021–22 EFL Cup,

### FA Cup

On 6 December, Reading were drawn away to Kidderminster Harriers in the Third Round of the 2021–22 FA Cup.

## Squad statistics

    As of match played 7 May 2022

### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Championship | Championship | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | NOR | Ørjan Nyland | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Tom Holmes | 34 | 1 | 27+5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Michael Morrison | 29 | 2 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | SCO | Tom McIntyre | 20 | 2 | 18+1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | CRO | Alen Halilović | 12 | 1 | 9+2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Andy Rinomhota | 21 | 0 | 19+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Tom Ince | 15 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | ENG | John Swift | 37 | 11 | 35+2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | CIV | Yakou Méïté | 13 | 0 | 3+10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | LCA | Terell Thomas | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | ENG | Ovie Ejaria | 26 | 2 | 21+5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | ENG | Danny Drinkwater | 34 | 1 | 31+2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | SRB | Dejan Tetek | 12 | 0 | 5+5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | GHA | Andy Yiadom | 38 | 1 | 38 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | ANG | Lucas João | 24 | 10 | 21+3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | NGA | Tom Dele-Bashiru | 39 | 4 | 27+11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | BRA | Felipe Araruna | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | GHA | Baba Rahman | 29 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | GK | NIR | Luke Southwood | 26 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | CAN | Junior Hoilett | 27 | 3 | 21+6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | ENG | Scott Dann | 18 | 2 | 14+4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | ENG | Josh Laurent | 42 | 2 | 41 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | FW | ENG | Femi Azeez | 14 | 2 | 5+8 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | MF | GNB | Mamadi Camará | 8 | 0 | 0+6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 33 | MF | ENG | Brandon Barker | 4 | 0 | 0+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | FW | ENG | Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 36 | MF | ENG | Claudio Osorio | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 37 | MF | IRL | Kian Leavy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 38 | DF | ENG | Michael Stickland | 3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 39 | FW | JAM | Jahmari Clarke | 13 | 2 | 0+12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 41 | DF | ENG | Ethan Bristow | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 42 | DF | ENG | Lynford Sackey | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 43 | DF | ENG | Nelson Abbey | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 48 | DF | ENG | Tyrell Ashcroft | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 49 | DF | GHA | Kelvin Abrefa | 3 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 51 | DF | ENG | Louie Holzman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 52 | MF | ENG | Rashawn Scott | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players away on loan: ||||||||||||
| 6 | DF | JAM | Liam Moore | 17 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 47 | FW | ROU | George Pușcaș | 27 | 2 | 16+9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Reading but left during the season: ||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | ENG | Andy Carroll | 8 | 2 | 6+2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | GK | EST | Karl Hein | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | GK | BRA | Rafael Cabral | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goal scorers

| Place | Position | Nation | Number | Name | Championship | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| 1 | MF | | 10 | John Swift | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 2 | FW | | 18 | Lucas João | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 3 | MF | | 19 | Tom Dele-Bashiru | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | FW | | 23 | Junior Hoilett | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | FW | | 30 | Femi Azeez | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | DF | | 6 | Liam Moore | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | MF | | 14 | Ovie Ejaria | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | FW | | 39 | Jahmari Clarke | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | DF | | 24 | Scott Dann | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | FW | | 9 | Andy Carroll | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | MF | | 28 | Josh Laurent | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | DF | | 4 | Michael Morrison | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | FW | | 9 | Tom Ince | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | DF | | 5 | Tom McIntyre | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | FW | | 47 | George Pușcaș | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 16 | MF | | 7 | Alen Halilović | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | MF | | 15 | Danny Drinkwater | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | DF | | 3 | Tom Holmes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | DF | | 17 | Andy Yiadom | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | | | | Own goal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 53 | 1 | 0 | 54 |

### Clean sheets

| Place | Position | Nation | Number | Name | Championship | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| 1 | GK | | 22 | Luke Southwood | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | GK | | 26 | Karl Hein | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | GK | | 1 | Ørjan Nyland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |

### Disciplinary record

| Number | Nation | Position | Name | Championship | Championship | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total |
| 3 | | DF | Tom Holmes | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 4 | | DF | Michael Morrison | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 5 | | DF | Tom McIntyre | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | | MF | Alen Halilović | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | | MF | Andy Rinomhota | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 9 | | FW | Tom Ince | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | | MF | John Swift | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 14 | | MF | Ovie Ejaria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | | MF | Danny Drinkwater | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 16 | | MF | Dejan Tetek | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | | DF | Andy Yiadom | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 18 | | FW | Lucas João | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | | MF | Tom Dele-Bashiru | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 21 | | DF | Baba Rahman | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 22 | | GK | Luke Southwood | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | | FW | Junior Hoilett | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 28 | | MF | Josh Laurent | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 32 | | MF | Mamadi Camará | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 38 | | DF | Michael Stickland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 39 | | FW | Jahmari Clarke | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 41 | | DF | Ethan Bristow | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Players away on loan: ||||||||||||
| 6 | | DF | Liam Moore | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 47 | | FW | George Pușcaș | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Players who left Reading during the season: ||||||||||||
| 33 | | GK | Rafael Cabral | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 70 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 76 | 1 |