Craig isn’t one of the first names on the teamsheet in Berkshire – but the Royals must keep the midfielder for now.
Additionally, they have already been connected to athletes; Chris Conn-Clarke of Altrincham is rumoured to be one of them.
Michael Craig, a midfielder for Reading, is also thought to be appealing to the south coast side.
Football Insider reports that Pompey is only one of several teams interested in Craig, meaning the Royals may have a tough fight on their hands if they want to hold onto the midfield player.
With his potential, the 21-year-old is definitely one for the future even though he might not start at Fratton Park right away.
Having played in a respectable amount of games during the 2023–24 season, he has some senior experience, which can only benefit him should he decide to sign with Mousinho’s team.
| Michael Craig’s 2023/24 campaign at Reading FC | |
|---|---|
| League | 28 |
| EFL Cup | 2 |
| EFL Trophy | 4 |
| FA Cup | 2 |
Looking through FC’s Michael Craig lifeline showed
The fact that Craig’s contract at the Select Car Leasing Stadium was going to end this summer caused many players’ futures to become uncertain.
It will be challenging to offer out contracts because the Royals’ takeover is not yet complete, but on Wednesday morning it was made public that the team had activated the one-year contract extension options on several players.
These players included Craig, Joel Pereira, Femi Azeez, Jeriel Dorsett, Kelvin Ehibatiomhan, and Jayden Wareham.
The player’s future is now under the Royals’ control thanks to this one-year agreement; they can choose to keep him for the entire 2019–20 season.
Reading FC must retain Michael Craig amid Portsmouth links
Although there may be interest in Wing, the midfield player appears eager to stay put. Players like Knibbs and former Derby County target Savage also have enough remaining on their contracts for the Royals to hang onto them.
Craig could start more often in a 4-2-3-1 setup, but if former Southampton manager Ruben Selles wants to be more offensive, Wing and Savage will likely be his first choices.
Selles has used a 4-1-4-1 configuration in the later stages of the campaign, and it has helped the Royals achieve some success.
They may not have won the season’s penultimate game against Burton Albion, but overall, they have benefited from playing this way.
Wing has performed admirably in a defensive midfield role, while Ben Elliott has flourished in the centre, therefore Savage and Craig may be relegated to the bench.
After leaving Select Car Leasing Stadium, Carson posted an emotional statement on social media.
Even though Wing has performed well in defensive midfield lately, it appears that he is not a specialist in that position, which is one of the main reasons it is crucial to maintain Craig with the team for the time being.
Additionally, since the takeover has not yet occurred, it is significant.
With the exception of the goalkeeping department, which has five possibilities, no more departures can be approved until a takeover really occurs.
Craig has a lot of promise as well and might improve significantly as a player in the future.
The midfielder might receive a lengthier contract from the Royals even though their takeover may not completely fix all of their issues. He will only improve as a player if he receives more playing time.
Although selling the 21-year-old to Pompey wouldn’t exactly help the Berkshire club, they are unable to trade him at this time for the previously mentioned reasons.
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