Record summer signing Sone Aluko has revealed the main reason why he moved to Championship side Reading, reports The Reading Chronicle’s Anthony Smith on Twitter.

The 28-year-old only moved to second tier rivals Fulham back in 2016 following a four-year stint at Hull City, and certainly did his bit in helping Slavisa Jokanovic’s side reach the end of season play-offs, where they incidentally lost to Jaap Stam’s Royals.

And the Berkshire outfit clearly liked what they saw as they prized him away from Craven Cottage for a reported £7.5 million, with Aluko joining the likes of Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, David Edwards, and Vito Mannone as summer additions at the Madejski Stadium.

And the Nigeria international, who bagged eight goals and laid on 12 assists for the Cottagers last term, has revealed the main reason for his move to the Royals, namely Stam himself.

He said, via Smith's Twitter: ‘The main factor in me coming here was the manager.’

These comments are sure to intrigue Reading supporters, who have seen their club act reasonably prudently in the transfer window over the years, yet have twice broken their transfer record in the last nine months.

And the Royals will once again be hoping to challenge for promotion this term after coming up agonisingly short last time out, and with two wins from their opening five games, they’ve given themselves a solid foundation from which to build as the season progresses.

The Verdict: Jaap Stam’s Reading were just a few penalty kicks away from returning to the Premier League back in May, but their defeat to Huddersfield Town means that they will once again have to make-do with the Championship.

Yet they made a clear statement of intent last month with the signing of Fulham’s Sone Aluko, a player who directly contributed to 20 of their 85 Championship goals last term, and earned several rave reviews along the way.

And for the Nigeria international to state that manager Stam was the main reason in swapping a promotion rival for another is another indication of the lure of the former Manchester United defender, and how great a job he did at Reading last term to convince others to join the project.

Reading fans… what do you make of the news? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!