Feeling is mutual between Reading FC supporters and Nesta Guinness-Walker after farewell message: View

In preparation for the upcoming campaign, Reading has let go of three left-backs, which is not ideal given their present takeover predicament.

Though he isn’t a natural in that region, Jeriel Dorsett is currently the club’s lone senior option there as a sale still seems far off.

That only serves to highlight the necessity for the Berkshire club to deal with this area during the summer window, given the departures of Clinton Mola, Nesta Guinness-Walker, and Matty Carson.

Guinness-Walker, who was released by AFC Wimbledon back in 2022, may be particularly dissatisfied with his time at the Select Car Leasing Stadium because he missed out on a fantastic opportunity to launch his career.

Even though there were transfer restrictions in place at the time, the Royals gave Guinness-Walker a one-year contract after seeing The wing-back performed admirably in a preseason match against West Ham United, making an impression on trial.

With Baba Rahman not returning until the later part of the summer 2022 window, he was also a much-needed addition, and he performed admirably at times during the 2022–2023 campaign.

Although the defender didn’t get as much playing time as supporters would have preferred, he frequently had an impact when he did, as evidenced by his cunning in aiding the Royals secure a draw and a penalty away against Norwich City.

Sadly, he was unable to stop their relegation from the Championship, but after having his contract extended by an additional year, he appeared to be a key member of Ruben Selles’s first-team preparations for the previous year.

However, things did not turn out that way. He ended up being loaned out to Stevenage and was one of several senior first-team players who were removed from the starting lineup in the early going of the season.

Given this, his inclusion on the list of those released last month was not shocking.

Guinness-Walker recently wished the Royals luck on Instagram in a sophisticated post to his followers.

“As my time at Reading FC comes to an end, I want to say thank you to everyone,” he tweeted on social media.

“Even though things didn’t work out the way I had intended, I feel honored to have worn the shirt and have met some wonderful people.

“I wish everyone involved at the club the best and look forward to seeing the fans get the club back to where it belongs.”

He only had four assists in 41 games for the Royals, but that statistic understates his effectiveness in the forward position.

He was obviously not the best defensively and was better suited for a wing-back or winger role than a full-back role, but ultimately he was able to accomplish less with the Berkshire club than he did.

Though it may be said that he did well to sign a deal with the Royals following Wimbledon’s relegation from League One, it was during the 2022–2023 season at the SCL Stadium that he truly showed promise. His speed and cunning caused issues out wide.

Having performed admirably that season against several Championship players, he may have been a valuable asset the previous season, but Selles benched him in the first few months of 2023–2024.