Experienced defender makes the move to RG2 ahead of the new campaign
We are delighted to announce the signing of seasoned defender Harlee Dean, who joins the Royals on a two-year contract.
With the new season just around the corner, Dean joins Rubén Sellés’ squad after six seasons spent at Birmingham City – where he made 200 appearances and picked up both the Supporters’ and the Players’ Player of the Year for the 2020-21 campaign.
He knows how much hard work is required to earn promotion from League One, playing a key role in the 2013-14 season where Brentford returned to the Championship after a 21-year absence.
The defender decided against taking his A-levels to join the youth team at Dagenham & Redbridge, before making his professional debut at home to Port Vale in October 2009.
Several non-League loans followed, before moving to then-League One side Southampton in August 2017. However, he was released at the end of 2011-12 season after spending some time on loan with Bishop’s Stortford and Brentford.
He joined the Bees permanently that summer, where his career began to flourish. Dean played in all but two of their League One matches as the side progressed to the play-off final against Yeovil Town… he scored early in the second half to cut the deficit to 2-1, but it was not enough as Brentford fell at the final hurdle.
The 2013-14 season saw Brentford prevail over the disappointment of the previous season and earn promotion to the Championship by finishing as runners-up. Dean managed 33 league appearances, despite undergoing an operation for an abdominal injury.
Dean continued to be a stalwart for the Bees in the following campaign despite playing in the division above, making 40 appearances in their second-tier return as the side qualified for the play-offs.
He missed just four league matches in 2015-16, including captaining the side to a 3-0 win over local rivals Fulham. The defender took on the skipper’s role permanently the next season, again missing only four league matches as he was named Supporters’ Player of the Year.
After five full seasons in West London, Dean made the switch to fellow Championship side Birmingham City. He was a regular starter in defence for his first four seasons with the Blues – he spent the second half of 2021-22 at Sheffield Wednesday where he helped the Owls to reach the play-offs. Returning to the Blues last summer, he made 16 more appearances for the Second City club – the last of which brought him up to a round 200 in a Birmingham shirt.
Dean has been training with the Royals throughout the summer – and today the paperwork has been completed to bring him to Reading for the coming campaign.
Mark Bowen, Head of Football Operations at Reading, said: “Harlee brings many different qualities to Reading with him. He is another senior character and guiding voice in the dressing room, and he is a born leader with a track record of success. And most importantly, he is a hard-working, dependable footballer who loves the art of defending, and he will add quality and steel to Rubén’s team.”
