Reading centre-back Sam Hutchinson has revealed he had offers from other clubs this summer but didn’t want to wait and joined the Royals on trial instead, speaking to Berkshire Live.

The former Sheffield Wednesday man arrived at the Select Car Leasing Stadium earlier this summer and has been with the club for the vast majority, if not all of pre-season and has played a part in all of the second-tier side's pre-season games.

Impressing during all of them as a commanding figure in the backline, he put pen to paper on a two-year contract last week with the 32-year-old taking the step back up to the Championship after spending last season in the third tier with the Owls.

Though he has struggled with injury problems in recent years, he managed to make a respectable contribution to Darren Moore's side's cause last season with 31 appearances to his name in all competitions as a regular starter at Hillsborough when fit.

Not only can he play at centre-back, but also as a midfielder with the Royals desperately in need of addressing those two areas during the summer window.

However, the Royals have been restricted to recruiting loanees and free agents during this window, making previously out-of-contract Hutchinson the ideal addition with the amount of EFL experience he has under his belt.

Despite the Berkshire side also being restricted in what they could offer the defender in terms of his salary, the 32-year-old’s impatience and desire to perform at a high level helped to fend off interest from elsewhere.

Speaking to Berkshire Live, the defender said: "I started on the first day back. I think it’s important to have a full pre-season – I had a couple of offers, but I didn’t want to wait.

"And it was a no brainer – I live round the corner and I’m from Windsor. To be near my kids is the one thing I’ve always wanted – I can enjoy my life outside football, which is a nice thing to do.

"And also I’m stepping into a league that I want to play in. Sheffield Wednesday is a massive club, but you’re coming back into the Championship and that’s why I had to come in on trial – to prove I can still do it."

The Verdict:

Considering he doesn’t live too far away from the SCL Stadium, this is probably the ideal move for the defender.

At 32, this year was probably his last chance to earn a move to the second tier and considering his experience, he has a decent chance of being involved regularly if he can continue to perform as well as he has during pre-season.

It’s not as if Paul Ince had a huge amount of money to splash either so even with Naby Sarr expected to come in, he could establish himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet in Berkshire as an experienced figure.

And even if the Royals can only get half a season out of him during 2022/23 with his injury record, the presence of others including Sarr, Tom McIntyre, Scott Dann and Tom Holmes will help to compensate for that.

This is why his arrival is a good move for all parties and though the club may have benefitted more from giving him a one-year deal to assess his performance levels and fitness, a cheap two-year deal certainly won’t put them under any real financial strain and that can only be a boost after breaching the EFL’s rules last year.

The player will be hoping to remain fit for a decent proportion of his stay.