Congratulations to Derrick Williams, your August 2025 player of the month! What an excellent start to life in Berkshire it’s been for the summer arrival, who’s so new in these parts that, yes, that’s the best photo of him in the Getty database in a Reading shirt.
He won over a significant number of you, getting a whopping 55% of the vote. The next-best challenger in the four-man shortlist was Lewis Wing (22%), and I’m surprised Ashqar Ahmed took just 17% after a breakout month in the cup and league.
Ben Elliott won over 6% of voters.
Williams has barely put a foot wrong since joining from Atlanta United last month. Having made his debut off the bench against AFC Wimbledon, he was thrown into the first team for league matches against Bolton Wanderers, Wycombe Wanderers and Port Vale, making a big contribution in steadying what had been a rocky ship defensively.
The 32-year-old brings kn0w-how, defensive composure and real class on the ball to Reading’s back line. It’s not just about what he has individually: the whole unit looks more solid when he’s in there.
As things stand he’s probably the only definite pick in the Royals’ defence – quite the thing to be able to say, given he was the third centre-back arrival of the summer, coming in without a huge amount of fanfare. Finley Burns is currently his partner, ahead of Michael Stickland and Jeriel Dorsett, and you’d think Paudie O’Connor will come in alongside Williams when he returns from injury.
Whatever combination Noel Hunt opts for, it’s great for him to have another strong option at the back. Having strength in depth in this position in particular is so important.
