The last five years has contained a lot for Reading FC, including a Championship winning season, one in the Premier League and a 19th place finish in the Championship.

It was 2011-12 when the club won the second tier title for the second time seven years, earning promotion, before crashing straight back down in 19th place.

The season that followed was good, but they could only manage 7th place and narrowly missed out on an opportunity of immediate promotion back to the top-flight via the play-offs.

Things haven't been as great lately, with 19th and 17th place finishes being well below the expectations of this club. Most of the joy for the fans has come from the FA Cup, where their side got to the semi-finals and quarter-finals back to back, losing out to Arsenal and Crystal Palace respectively.

Management appointments have been fluid too, with Nigel Adkins, Steve Clarke and Jaap Stam all having stints, in addition to Brian McDermott having two.

Here, in the opinion of FLW’s Ryan Evans, are the best THREE signings that Reading have made in the last five years…

 

John Swift

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After impressing many people whilst in the Chelsea Under-23 squad, Swift had a loan spell at Brentford last season where he turned into one of their key creative influences, scoring seven and setting up four in his 27 Championship games.

He returned to Chelsea, but his contract wasn't renewed and was snapped up by Jaap Stam on 14th July as one of his first signings for the club.

He's been given plenty of minutes too: the 21-year old has appeared in five games so far, scored twice and set up one more.

Whilst it still may be too early to call him one of the best signings in the club's history, Swift has a mountain of potential and is one of the most promising youngsters in the country.

He could turn out to be a great asset to Reading for years to come.

Oliver Norwood

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Norwood signed for Reading back in August 2014 from Huddersfield Town before leaving for Brighton last summer, making 92 appearances for the club over the two years he spent in Berkshire.

His three goals and eight assists last season left him as one of the club's top performers, but it's his other work that makes him really worth his weight in gold.

His ability to play a pass and just control the possession is fantastic, meaning the Royals are more controlled when they have the ball.

The way he dictated the play for Northern Ireland in last summer's Euros proves just how good a player he is, and probably persuaded Chris Hughton to splash the cash.

The 25-year old arguably still has his best years ahead of him, and will be a massive miss for Reading this term.

Adam Le Fondre

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Number one on my list of greatest Reading signings in the last five years goes to Adam Le Fondre.

He moved to the Madejski Stadium back in August 2011, for a minimal fee.

His exploits during his time at the club have been sensational.

The player scored a total of 41 goals for the Royals, including 12 in the promotion winning campaign as he was named the club's top scorer for all three seasons he spent there.

The 29-year old scored 12 more the next season as they were relegated back down from the Premier League, and 15 the next as the club finished just outside of the play-offs.

He moved on to Cardiff that summer, and despite his decent total of 11 goals in 2014-15, he hasn't been able to hit the heights from his time in Berkshire.

Le Fondre is currently on loan at Wigan, where he has played just once so far.

There are many at the Madejski Stadium that won't forget his efforts for the club, as he was a major part of the reason they won promotion to the Premier League in 2011-12.

Reading fans, what do you think? Are these the best three signings your team has made in the last five years? Are there any others you would add? Let us know your opinions via the comments box below!