Sone Aluko was meant to herald in the new era with Reading, scoring goals that would see them back amongst the country's elite sides in the Premier League.

One year on from his record-breaking move from Fulham, Aluko is barely warranting a mention.

His impact in a tough season for the Royals was negligible and at times, he cut a forlorn figure, a shadow of his former self.

He's 29 now and isn't getting younger, so is it time for Reading to cash in on the attacker and look for a replacement? Or is his first season one to forget, with his second being the memorable one.

FLW shines a spotlight on Sone Aluko...

Aluko is thought to have cost Reading £7.5m when he made the summer switch from Fulham and, despite the lack of goals, he certainly got a fair crack of the whip. He played 43 times as first Jaap Stam and latterly Paul Clement oversaw a disappointing season, albeit one that did end in Championship survival.

Only one of his three goals earned Reading anything, that being a 13th minute strike as they beat QPR 1-0 in March. His other two efforts were merely adding to a score line, he got the third of the 3-1 win against Forest and one in the 4-2 win at Derby County.

He created four goals too though, so he had a hand in seven of the 48 goals Reading scored. Is that 'record signing' impact, or more indicative of a fringe player, a £750,000 man as opposed to a £7,500,000 player?

He averaged two shots on goal per game, not a terrible figure considering the Royals difficult season, but also not a large amount for a big-money buy. He attempted 1.6 dribble per game too, again a reasonable amount but not that of a player making a significant impact.

His tackling was even less obvious than his attacking prowess, just 1.2 tackles per game. As a centre forward he isn't there to win the ball, but perhaps necessity called as the long, hard season dragged on.

Whenever a side spends such a huge sum, that player is going to be under the spotlight and as much as Reading fans might think Aluko should move on, the numbers do suggest reasonable ability.

He should have more impact for the outlay, but attempting to move him on now would result in a big loss for Reading. If he can find his feet this season, there's every chance his value could increase, at least to an acceptable level so they can recoup some of that massive fee.