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Reading Football Club are delighted to announce that Femi Azeez has completed the paperwork on a new two-year deal with the Royals.
Azeez, who turned 21 last month, burst onto the scene at the start of last season – scoring 28 minutes into his full home debut in a win over Preston North End last August, before doubling his tally three days later with a goal against Bristol City.
The powerful forward arrived at the club in the summer of 2020 and actually earned his first team debut that same season as a substitute in a 3-0 home win over Sheffield Wednesday in March 2021.
Older brother to Miguel Azeez – a young player at Arsenal – Femi made 14 first team appearances in total last season and he has returned fighting fit for pre-season under Paul Ince.
Head of Football Operations, Mark Bowen, said: “Femi is a young, hungry, talented player with the right attitude and an obvious desire to develop and earn regular first team football this season. He is exactly the type of player we want at this club and I’m delighted he has committed the next two years of his career to this club.”
We can also announce that striker Nahum Melvin-Lambert has become the latest of our Under-23s squad to commit to a new deal as a Royal.
The 19-year-old forward first put pen to paper on a professional deal in February 2021 and went on loan to play in the League of Ireland’s Premier Division for St Patrick’s Athletic.
He returned to Dublin for a second spell during which St Patrick’s lifted the FAI Cup with a win over Bohemians at the Aviva Stadium.
To date, the striker has made three substitute appearances for the Royals, featuring in our Carabao Cup clashes against Colchester United and Luton Town as well as an FA Cup defeat at Kenilworth Road back in January 2021. He is now signed up to spend 2022-23 as a Royal.
Hamid Abdel Salam has also signed on the dotted line, putting pen to paper on his first professional contract and committing his future to the club.
The 18-year-old signed his terms as a Royal earlier this week, having featured eight times for our Under-23s in 2021-22.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old full-back Tyrell Ashcroft has today joined Tottenham Hotspur; the Royals will receive a compensation fee from the Premier League side after Ashcroft turned down the offer of a professional contract in RG2 at the end of his scholarship this summer.
Ashcroft made four first team starts last season to become and we would like to wish him the very best of luck in the next chapter of his fledgling career.
