We are delighted to welcome midfielder Mamadou Loum to Reading Football Club on a season-long loan from FC Porto.
The Senegalese international flew into the country last night and completed the paperwork on a move to RG2, albeit subject to international clearance and the normal ratification procedures from the relevant football authorities.
Head of Football Operations, Mark Bowen, said: “Mamadou is a player we identified as a potential loan target early in the window and I am very pleased to now be able to welcome him to Reading. A powerful dynamic midfield player with top-flight and international experience on his CV, I am confident he will make a big impact in blue and white hoops in the Championship this season.”
Although Mamadou arrives in RG2 from Portugal, he spent last season playing regular football in La Liga whilst on loan with Alaves. He made 32 appearances in the Spanish top tier last season, making his debut at home to Real Madrid last August.
Having opened his account against Elche, he scored the second of his two goals for Alaves in a 2-1 win over Valencia in February.
Last season he also featured alongside the likes of Sadio Mane and Cheikhou Kouyate in representing his native Senegal in an Africa Cup of Nations stalemate with Guinea. The country with whom he made his debut back in 2019 went on to lift the trophy in Cameroon after a penalty shootout win against Egypt in the Final.
The 6’2” Dakar-born defensive midfielder had previously spent the early years of his career in Portugal with Segunda Liga side SC Braga B and then in the Primeira Liga on loan with Moreirense FC.
He scored in a win at Benfica during his spell there and earned a loan move to FC Porto where he played Europa League and Champions League football – coming off the bench to help edge out Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus at the Estádio do Dragão in February 2021.
Now he arrives for a season on loan in the Championship hoping to impress in English football and also catch the eye of his country once more as Senegal prepare to take part in the opening match of the World Cup Finals out in Qatar later this year.
Manager Paul Ince said, “Together, we have had to put together an almost entirely new midfield this summer and Mamadou feels like an important piece in that puzzle. Comfortable with the ball at his feet and an aerial threat in both boxes, he is a player who will battle hard from the first minute to the last with that fire in the belly you need to tackle the challenge of the Championship head on. He was a player highly-coveted by a number of clubs, so for Mamadou to choose to join us is a real boost for everyone at the club.”
