Portsmouth's league rivals land star who has ‘always scored goals’ as Reading man joins Premier League side

The January transfer window comes at a crucial time in the season for league leaders Portsmouth who are currently experiencing a slump in form after an exceptional start to the season.

John Mousinho’s side have won just one of their last six league matches, opening the door to the likes of Peterborough, Derby County and Bolton Wanderers who  all have the chance to climb above Pompey in the league table in the coming weeks. Pompey’s concerns are amplified by the long term injuries sustained by Alex Robertson and Regan Poole and the pair are unlikely to make another appearance in the league this season. 

The Fratton Park faithful are keen to see more transfer action in the coming weeks if they are to learn from the failed promotion attempts from years gone by. So far the only signing in this window has been goalkeeper Matt Macey and Mousinho may need to be active if he is to keep his side at the summit come May.

In the meantime there is plenty of transfer activity happening elsewhere in the division including a reunion at Stevenage and a departure at Reading.

Steve Evans reunited with former striker as Stevenage bolster their squad

Stevenage have been the surprise package of the division and manager Steve Evans is hoping to steer the club to back-to-back promotions this term. Evans is a wealth of experience when it comes to promotion run-ins and he has previously achieved the feat nine times in his managerial career.

Stevenage are currently seventh in the league and chasing a play-off spot and they have turned to Bradford striker Vadaine Oliver in a bid to realise that dream. The 32-year-old striker has struggled for game time this season and injuries have reduced him to just six appearances in League Two. He arrives at Stevenage on a loan deal until the end of the season.

Oliver fired in 17 goals in 43 appearances for Evans during his final full season at Gillingham back in 2020/21 and the 61-year-old is confident that the striker can rediscover his form. Speaking to the club website, Evans said: “He has always scored goals for me. As a minimum, he works incredibly hard for the team and I’m delighted to work with him again.”

Luton Town sign Reading academy graduate then loan him back

Premier League side Luton Town have confirmed the signing of Reading academy graduate Tom Holmes in a deal which sees him immediately return to the Royal on loan until the end of the season. The 23-year-old moves for an undisclosed fee, but still has the chance to add to his 129 appearances during the final few months of the season.

Speculation about Holmes had dominated the pre-match build-up for the Port Vale game which was eventually abandoned, and it is suspected that his sale along with an accepted offer for Nelson Abbey contributed to the matchday protests against the owner.

A Reading statement congratulated Holmes on the move. It reads: “Everyone at the club would like to congratulate Tom on his move, and look forward to working with him for the rest of the season.”