Mark Hughes is in talks with Reading over becoming the club's new manager as the Royals prepare to announce Jose Gomes' departure later today, according to Football Insider.
The Berkshire-based club are reportedly set to dismiss Gomes just 10 months after he took charge at the Madejski Stadium following a poor start to the Championship season which has seen them win just two of their first 11 matches.
Reading signed a host of new players over the summer as they aimed to equip the squad for a play-off push, but Gomes has failed to deliver acceptable results this term after guiding the Royals towards survival in the second half of last season.
The Royals have now lost five of their last six matches with the latest of these defeats seeing Gomes' side lose 1-0 to Bristol City, in a result which saw them slip into the Championship relegation places heading into the international break.
It is understood that Hughes is now in talks with Reading chiefs over replacing the Portuguese at the helm, with the club hopeful of appointing Gomes' replacement in time for their match against Preston after the international break.
Hughes has been out of work since being sacked by Southampton last December, but he could now be set for a return to management at Reading where he will be reunited with his former assistant Mark Bowen who is currently the club's director of football.
The Verdict
This would be a baffling appointment. It would represent a complete change of direction at Reading given that Gomes was installed to launch a long-term project at the club, while Hughes would be nothing more than a short-term fix.
Gomes remains a popular figure at the Madejski Stadium despite the club's poor start to the season, and it would be hugely unpopular for the club to replace him with Hughes given his unpopularity at previous clubs.
He was sacked from his two previous jobs at Stoke and Southampton after steering them both towards Premier League relegation, and he has not really shown anything to indicate he would be a success in this demanding role.
Bowen has worked with Hughes throughout his coaching career so it certainly appears as though Reading's director of football is doing Hughes a favour here. This appointment could see Reading supporters lose trust in the club's hierarchy.
[freshpress-poll ]