Latvian international Deniss Rakels has joined Reading for a fee believed to be in the region of £500,000.
The 23 year old completed a move from Polish side Cracovia Krakow, after spending 2 years at the club where he made 61 appearances and scored 26 goals.
McDermott revealed that he spoke to former Reading player and Latvia captain Kaspars Gorkss before signing the striker and said that Gorkss spoke “very highly” of Deniss.
Not many Reading fans had even heard of Rakels before he was linked with the Royals last week, and in an interview with GetReading.co.uk McDermott revealed that neither did he and that Rakels is very much an owners signing.
This may not fill Reading fans with much confidence after summer ‘owners signings’ Hurtado and Orlando Sa have both moved on this window.
However, if Rakels does bring the goals that Reading desperately need after selling Blackman to Derby earlier on in the window, it will be seen as a masterstroke from the Reading owners after owning shelling out half a million for Rakels.
Rakels has signed in time to be registered in time for the FA Cup 4th round game against Walsall on Saturday and everybody will be eager to see what Rakels has got in his locker.
From first appearances, the striker definetely looks like he wouldn’t back down from a fight and will put his body on the line, which is determination and passion that Reading have been lacking for a while now ever since Pearce and Karacan left in the summer.
I’m not really sure what to make of the signing as I can’t pretend I had ever heard of Rakels before last week, but I’m hoping he can bring fight, desire, and most importantly, goals to this Reading side to boost us up the table.
