It seems that defender Matt Miazga has quite the career decision in front of him. This Chelsea loanee has meant quite a lot to the Royals this season. Some would even argue he has helped Reading avoid relegation. However, while he has definitely been of assistance in achieving this mission — his future is uncertain as summer comes closer.
His teammates at Reading are hopeful that he will join them permanently during the next transfer window, but Miazga himself remains cagey regarding this prospect. Though, seeing what the club means to him, it isn’t that unpredictable. After his usefulness this season, they will surely appreciate him if he decides to come on a permanent deal.
After all, Miazga has definitely been an ace in the sleeve for the Royals since his arrival. He has played in a lot of games for Reading. And the efforts he has made since his arrival in January have definitely been a major asset in Reading’s efforts to remain in the Championship.
And they’ve basically achieved this, after Monday’s 0-0 draw in the game against West Brom. Their stay in the Championship now seems all but certain, as Jose Manuel Gomes’ team now remains undefeated in their previous four clashes. Right now they’re 6 points ahead of Rotherham, which stands in 22nd place; meaning their chances are pretty good at this point.
One could argue that Matt Miazga has played a crucial role in their extremely good prospects of survival. So far, he has made 16 appearances and sustained a loss in only three of them; against Hull City, Leeds United, and Sheffield United. Regardless of the strong impression he’s made, the 23-year-old defender intends to keep his “options open” as summer draws near.
On one hand, Miazga would probably hope for a chance to remain at Chelsea after his stunning string of successes at Reading. Especially seeing as his previous outing to Nantes was made short because of disagreements with manager Vahid Halilhodzic. While Chelsea is probably his favorite option still; whether that’s true vice versa is not certain.
After all, his spot in Chelsea remains up in the air, considering the rest of their lineup. Returning to the card analogy for a moment, while he was definitely an ace in the sleeve for Reading; at Chelsea, he is more of a Jack of Clubs. But what does a Club symbolize here? If you ask us — a headstrong warrior, but it is unsuitable for this particular deck.
Namely, because the Blues already have defenders like Andreas Christensen and David Luiz. And on top of that, there may be further competition for Miazga. Namely, Fikayo Tomori may be returning to Chelsea after having a successful season while on loan at Derby County.
Still, though; it appears that Gary Cahill will definitely be released after his contract expires this summer. Since Maurizio Sarri was appointed as head coach, Cahill has played only seven games for the team. It would seem Sarri does not hold him in particularly high regard, so the 33-year-old’s prospects at the Blues seem grim.
Miazga’s Reading teammates seem more than happy to see the 23-year-old stay beyond his loan spell. The Royals’ forward Yakou Meite was quite vocal about Miazga’s contributions to the team. In particular, Meite has praised the young defender for the stability he has brought to Reading. On the other hand, he recognizes that Miazga is an aggressive player, with a fighting mentality. Still, Meite holds that he has “the same goal as all of us”; describing the fight to keep Reading out of relegation.
This season, the Royals’ two last games will be matches against Birmingham City and Middlesbrough. There will certainly be a chance for Miazga to shine here once more. In fact, his appearance in these last two games would mean that his total number of appearances, for this season, would go up to 18. It seems that he has more than established himself as a staple at Berkshire.