After an awfully long wait, Reading finally have a new signing in the door. Say hello to George Earthy, who’s come in on a permanent deal from Championship side West Ham United and agreed a three-year deal.
The 21-year-old is an attacking central midfielder. Though that position wasn’t at the very top of the Royals’ shopping list, it was still an important bit of business to tick off, with Leam Richardson previously saying he wanted another option in this department, in addition to Bristol City loanee
Josh Stokes.
Competition and cover for Stokes – who netted the Royals’ first competitive goal of 2026/27, away to Bromley – will be a big bonus. We saw the pitfalls last season of being reliant on just one number 10, with Reading badly lacking creativity when Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Kamari Doyle was injured in the latter weeks of the season.
Earthy should therefore be a good addition. Stylistically, Analytics United describe him as a “lockpick” who “wants to find those… close combinations as a way of breaking teams down”, which sounds to me like the kind of flair and inventiveness which Reading will benefit from.
I’m also encouraged by the fact that this is a permanent deal. Reading have done well to secure a talented youngster who can hopefully be developed over the long term.
What’s his story so far?
Earthy joined West Ham’s academy at a young age and has played for the Hammers across multiple age groups. He made his first-team debut in March 2024 during a Europa League game against SC Freiburg, although he only managed four minutes of game time.
Premier League appearances were thin on the ground, however. Earthy made three later in that same 2023/24 campaign, scoring against Luton Town, and also got eight minutes off the bench on one occasion last season.
Most of his senior-level game time has come at Bristol City though, across two separate loan spells. Earthy spent the full duration of 2024/25 with the Robins, scoring three times and registering one assist in 40 appearances across the Championship, FA Cup and play-offs, even winning the supporters’ vote for young player of the season.
He returned to Ashton Gate in the back half of 2025/26 – as it happens, around the same time as now-teammate Stokes was loaned out by Bristol City to Stockport County. This time, Earthy’s involvement was more limited – amid competition with fellow attacking players Tomi Horvat and Scott Twine – with him managing one assist in just 11 matches.
When asked in March 2026 what Earthy could improve on, manager Gerhard Struber said:
“It’s, of course, a little bit the end product – so scorer moments. When he plays in the 10, of course, he should be a player who brings us, in the end, something where we can speak about goals or final passes. In this direction, he can do better.
“At the same time, of course, without the rhythm, without the game-time that he wants, to make the steps, it’s also not so easy.”
The fact that Earthy has a fair amount of first-team experience already should mean he’s able to make a good impact fairly quickly.
Welcome to Berkshire, George!
