Dom Ballard seals loan move to join Ruben’s ranks

We have a new no.9!

Reading Football Club are delighted to welcome striker Dom Ballard into Ruben Selles’ ranks after the 18-year-old Southampton striker put pen to paper on a season-long loan move this evening.

Ballard emerged from the Saints’ youth ranks to sign his first professional contract with the south coast side in April 2022, having already featured in EFL Trophy action for Southampton’s Under-21s at the tender age of 16.

He went on to score on his first team debut, coming off the bench in the 75^th minute of a Carabao Cup win at Cambridge United last August and finding the back of the net within 13 minutes of his senior team bow.

Dom was handed his league debut by Selles at Southampton, coming off the bench against south coast rivals Brighton & Hove Albion in May.

And the young striker was given a cameo a week later in the final day 4-4 draw at home to Liverpool, an eight-goal thriller ending Southampton’s Premier League campaign last season.

In the Under-21 set-up at Southampton, Ballard was nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Year accolade after scoring 13 goals in 16 matches to help the Saints claim the Division Two title.

This season, the promising young forward has again been firing on all cylinders; Ballard bagged back-to-back hat-tricks against Newcastle and Aston Villa respectively in Southampton Under-21s’ first two Premier League 2 matches of 2023-24.

On the international scene, Ballard has represented England at Under-17 and Under-18 level – scoring three times for the latter in victories over the Faroe Islands and Belgium last season. And he has recently been called into the England Under-19 squad for upcoming friendlies against Germany and Switzerland this month!

Dom's most recent first team involvement for his club was as an unused substitute in Saints’ 2-1 win at Plymouth in the Championship last month and now he arrives in RG2 looking to earn regular first team football in blue and white hoops.

Head of Football Operations, Mark Bowen, said: “Dom is a gifted young striker with a proven eye for goal – he has been prolific at both Under-18 and Under-21 level and has already taken his first steps in first team football at Southampton.

"Now, he has a platform to earn valuable experience, develop his own game in a highly competitive environment and simply score more goals at senior team level as a Royal. I’m delighted we have been able to bring him into the young, hungry squad we are building at Reading.”

Set to make the reverse move is talented 16-year-old midfielder Thierry Rohart-Brown who we can confirm we have accepted an offer for in exchange for an undisclosed fee from Southampton.

Pending the player's agreement with the proposed move with Southampton, we would like to wish Thierry the very best of luck in his future career.