Transfer Centre

Steve Clarke: 'Loans only for Reading'

By Joe Fish, Reporter | 21 January 2015

Reading manager Steve Clarke admits that the club's poor financial position will restrict him to making only loan signings during the January transfer window.

Reading manager Steve Clarke has revealed that the club's financial position will restrict him to making only loan signings this month.

The Royals have been linked with Chelsea midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah and a deal to re-sign Crystal Palace striker Glenn Murray, who scored eight goals in a loan spell at the Championship club earlier this season.

Clarke is looking to strengthen his squad during the transfer window, but admits that his resources are limited.

He told talkSPORT: "It's something we're looking at but my hands are a little bit tied.

"We're very, very close to the margins of financial fair play, the club are still suffering from having Premier League wages in the Championship. The financial situation, to be honest, at this moment is not great.

"We won't be doing much big business. If I can bring in one or two that would help the squad, probably on loan, then I'll try and do that, but normally the loan players don't come up until late in the window."

Former West Bromwich Albion boss Clarke, who was appointed manager at the Madejski Stadium in December, takes his side to Championship rivals Cardiff City in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday.