Tyler Bindon sold to Nottingham Forest, loaned straight back to Reading

The Royals have sold their second first-team player in the final week of the transfer window.

Reading has traded first-team player Tyler Bindon to Premier League side Nottingham Forest. He joins Sam Smith, who moved to Wrexham for a reported £2 million fee late last week.

The sum for Bindon has not been announced, although the Reading Chronicle’s James Earnshaw believes it will be lower than Smith’s. While Bindon (20) has a far better long-term ceiling than Smith (26), the young defender was also set to be out of contract in the summer, so a lower price made sense.

The important thing on the pitch, however, is that Reading has Bindon back on loan until the end of the season. Forest have done us a favour by allowing us to keep centre-back Tom Holmes temporarily, similar to how Luton Town paid the Royals for him.

Even in an ideal off-pitch environment (which none of us have a clue about), maintaining Bindon over the summer would have been highly unlikely. He’s an extremely talented centre-back who we’ve been fortunate to maintain for as long as we have. It’s not surprising to see him join a Premier League team, and I fully expect him to succeed in the top level.

Bindon receives a well-deserved transfer, Reading raises much-needed funds, Noel Hunt retains one of his top players, and Nottingham Forest secures a tremendous talent for the long future. As disappointing as it is that Bindon will not be returning next season, this is one of those unusual transactions in which everyone benefits.

Photo by Lee Parker – CameraSport via Getty Images

Bindon hopes to outperform his former centre-back partner, Nelson Abbey, who has struggled to progress since leaving a year ago. Abbey made 22 League One games in his debut Reading season, but has since made only four for new parent club Olympiacos and one on loan at Swansea City before being recalled in January and sent back to Rio Ave.

Bindon has demonstrated his promise since signing in 2023, and it would be a shame if he were to struggle for game time again. Maybe send him back to us on loan for next season, Forest?

Bindon has had quite the spectacular climb. When he signed, there was no photo of him in the Getty database, and he appeared to be a member of the school.

However, Bindon never looked back after an impressive performance in the League Cup against Millwall (a game that launched a number of other young players into the first team), followed by a 1-0 win over Cheltenham Town the following week.

He missed only four games for the remainder of the 2023/24 season. The majority of his 44 appearances in all competitions were at centre-back, with a brief (forced) spell at right-back. In the midfield, he had a number of teammates, including Holmes and Abbey, but the former’s injury and the latter’s sale in the second half of the season meant he was paired with Amadou Mbengue for the final stretch.

Reading’s center-backs have been their best in a long time. Mbengue’s intensity and energy complemented Bindon’s poise and control, both in and out of possession.

However, Bindon delivered a terrific performance in his own right. He easily won our Rookie of the Season title for 2023/24.

Bindon has continued where he left off last season, appearing in every 2024/25 League One game and improving with each passing game. In December, he received about 70% of the voting for our Player of the Month award, highlighting his outstanding performances.

In fact, his overall average from our player ratings (6.4/10) is surpassed by only one player: Joel Pereira (6.5/10). If Bindon continues to perform as well as he has, there is no reason why he cannot be crowned Player of the Season outright.

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