New Reading FC keeper Orjan Nyland's rallying call for Championship relegation battle

By Stephen Emerson

11 March 2022

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Orjan Nyland signs for Reading FC

Reading FC's new goalkeeper says he wants to be a vocal leader on the pitch as the club battle to remain in the Championship.

Norway international Orjan Nyland has signed a short-term deal until the end of the season at Reading after injuries depleted the club’s goalkeeping department.

The 6’4” stopper has 33 Norway caps under his belt, and Reading are his fourth club in England with the player having had previous spells with Norwich, Bournemouth and Aston Villa.

Orjan Nyland joined the Royals on Thursday and is expected to be part of the squad that will face Nottingham Forest this weekend.

The 31-year-old has been drafted in until the end of the season to compete with Luke Southwood for the number one spot after Arsenal loanee Karl Hein underwent hand surgery which is expected to keep him out for the remaining 11 games of the season. Jokull Andresson is already on the casualty list.

Nyland said: “I know what the Championship is about – and now it’s about using that experience in the best way that I can to help the club.

"I want to be vocal and a leader – do that best that I can to help my teammates to bring their best potential as well. I hope that I can use my experience to help the lads to do their best and have a good end to the season.

“It’s all tough games in the Championship. Now we have to take it game-by-game and focus on what you can do in each game. We can be difficult to play against and we can cause problems for the opposition.

“I like to play with pressure. I’ve done it before, and it brings you’re A-game if you’re up to it. That’s what I want to do here. And this is definitely a club that should be in this division, so that has to be the number one goal for everyone involved to make that happen.

“It’s a tough schedule. But we can definitely do it – and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Nyland began his senior career in his native Norway, where he won a domestic double with Molde under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and had a spell in Germany with Ingolstadt before moving to Aston Villa during the summer of 2018.

He helped Villa win promotion to the Premier League and played in the Carabao Cup final defeat by Manchester City in March 2020, and has since had short spells at Norwich and Bournemouth.

Nyland said the move would be a good fit for both him and the club.

He said: “I’ve been speaking to the club for a couple of weeks and I had a chat with the manager at the weekend,”

"I had a couple of options and I weighed them up – and I think this will be a good fit for both parties. I just hope I can do well and participate to help the club in the best way that I can.

“Now it’s just about kicking on, getting to know my teammates, meeting up with the lads and bring what I can offer."

“It was a really tough game for us when I was here with Bournemouth in the first part of the season; it was a quite even game. Reading were a tough club to play against and now I’ll be a part of it. I want to help to participate to make us really hard to beat, and try to gain as many points as we can to secure a spot in the league.

By Stephen Emerson

Stephen Emerson is the Managing Editor of The Business Magazine and is responsible for the publication's print publications and online properties including the newly launched Biz News websites in Hampshire and Dorset.

Stephen has been a journalist for 20 years and has worked at local, regional and national publications and led a team which made The Scotsman website one of the fastest growing news sites in the UK with over eight million monthly users.

He has a keen interest in technology, property and corporate finance and telling the stories of the people behind the successful firms in these sectors.