Everton striker would be useful foil for Le Fondre at Reading
Published:The debate will continue to rumble on over whether Adam Le Fondre is best employed as a starter or a second-half substitute, but there can be little argument that his goals will be vital to whether Reading immediately bounce back to the Premier League or not.
Reading remain 5/2 to get promoted this season and Le Fondre has already chipped in with three goals.
Hal Robson-Kanu and Royston Drenthe in particular have the ability to create chances from midfield, but a second striker equally adept at laying on chances is somewhat lacking.
Pavel Pogrebnyak was a contender for flop of the season in the top-flight in the last campaign and he has looked no better in the second tier. Meanwhile, although Nick Blackman has been keeping the Russian out of the side, there are doubts whether he is truly good enough.
The emergency loan window still presents an opportunity for Reading to strengthen and one man it may pay Nigel Adkins to consider is Everton’s Apostolos Vellios.
David Moyes’ departure from Goodison Park initially looked to be a boost to Vellios’ chances of breaking into the first team, but the arrivals of Arouna Kone and Romelu Lukaku have only pushed him further down the pecking order.
His impact when regularly employed as a substitute in the 2011/12 campaign was noteworthy as he netted three times from nine shots and was widely regarded among supporters as a game changer.
Opportunities were less forthcoming in the last campaign and now that he has reached the age of 21, a loan move would make the most sense to further his development.
He has the size to hit it off with Le Fondre in what may be the latest example of the old-school little and large partnership. At Championship level, he could certainly take on the role of Niall Quinn, with Le Fondre fulfilling the scoring quota of Kevin Phillips.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
Fancy a flutter? Sign up today to claim three £10 free bets when you bet £10
