Reading have announced the sale of Andre Garcia, who’s heading to Club Brugge. The Belgian side have paid an undisclosed fee for the 18-year-old, who had still been on scholar terms with the Royals.
It’s a shame to see Garcia depart. He stepped up commendably last season when Reading desperately needed him to – not only being given an abrupt introduction to first-team football, but also moving positions from winger to left-back.
He also provided some memorable moments, opening his account at senior
level in the League Cup win over Portsmouth. Subsequently, he struck late on to secure a league draw at Bolton Wanderers. Garcia even set a club record by becoming the first under-18 to play 50 times for Reading.
At the same time, his exit isn’t really a surprise. The youngster managed just 417 minutes for the first team in all competitions this season, due to a variety of reasons.
Garcia slipped down the pecking order at left-back and out wide, with other options readier for regular first-team football; a late September injury set him back; and it was confirmed earlier this season that he’s going through a growth spurt, necessitating his minutes to be carefully managed.
More recently, he’s just not been in manager Leam Richardson’s plans, with his most recent first-team involvement being a brief appearance in the 1-1 draw at Peterborough United in late December. I’ve seen a variety of reasonings floating around for that: Garcia may have not wanted to sign a new deal at Reading or Richardson could simply be not all that keen on using youngsters.
Whatever the truth of the matter, I wouldn’t say there’s been a compelling argument that Garcia had to be playing more than he was. Despite the fact he held his own remarkably well last season, he’s not yet at a stage where he can consistently make an impact at League One level – unsurprising, given his age – and Reading are now fairly well stocked in Garcia’s positions.
So a sale makes sense for Reading, who get valuable cash (and ideally a hefty sell-on fee). And regardless of the points I made above, Garcia is a bright talent who’s earned his move to a very big club, so hopefully this transfer works out well for him and Club Brugge.
This is also yet another reminder of just how good Reading’s academy is. Omar Richards, Nelson Abbey, Danny Loader, Michael Olise and Jamie Gittens are all graduates to have headed onto big clubs across Europe, proving that our youth setup is capable of developing top-level talent. Hopefully Garcia can kick on and have an excellent career in the game.
Good luck Andre, and all the best.
