Euro 2024 star could have saved Reading FC millions but never got the chance: View | OneFootball

Lasha Dvali isn't classed as one that got away, but in hindsight, the central defender could have been a good asset to have in Berkshire.

Lasha Dvali looked to be an interesting find for Reading when he joined the club back from Latvian side Skonto in 2013.

At the time, he was viewed as a promising player for the future along with Jake Cooper, with the likes of Alex Pearce and Sean Morrison ahead of them in the pecking order.

Michael Hector was also a promising, young central defender back then and he was another player that Dvali looked set to compete with for a first-team spot in the future.

However, Dvali was unable to get a work permit throughout his time at the Select Car Leasing Stadium and that prevented him from playing for the Royals, with the player heading out on loan to his former side Skonto and Turkish outfit Kasimpasa, before securing a permanent exit from Berkshire in 2015.

For the sake of his footballing career, he had to move on and, considering he never played for the Royals, few fans rued his departure at the time.

Lasha Dvali's life after Reading FC

Following his departure from the Berkshire club, he ended up at then-German second-tier club MSV Duisburg, only spending a brief period there before having his contract cancelled.

He then spent a three-year spell in Poland, playing in the country's top tier and also spending time in Kazakhstan, before his switch to Hungarian giants Ferencvaros during the 2019 winter window.

Dvali had his first chance to compete in a European competition in Hungary, playing in Europa League and Champions League qualifiers, as well as actually featuring in the group stages of these competitions.

Playing against the likes of FC Barcelona and Juventus in the Champions League, this was an amazing experience for the 29-year-old, who now plies his trade for Cypriot outfit APOEL.

Proving to be an asset in both boxes for the Nicosia-based side, he has done a good job for club and country in recent years, scoring a crucial penalty that took Georgia to Euro 2024 and also competing in the competition in Germany.

At 29, he has some valuable experience under his belt in numerous countries and still has at least a few more years left in the tank before his career starts to wind down.

There are players who the Royals could have clearly benefitted from keeping hold of. Michail Antonio and Jack Stacey are two names that spring to mind instantly, with the pair featuring in the Premier League for other clubs.

Dvali's progress since his departure from Berkshire hasn't been as obvious for two reasons.

Firstly, he has played away from England since his move from the Royals and secondly, it took him a while to find his feet, with his unsuccessful time out in Germany not helping his cause.

But now, he is competing on the biggest stage internationally and is playing for a side that narrowly missed out on competing in the Conference League last season.

Dvali could have been a great player for the Royals, knowing now what he has gone on to achieve.

The Georgia international was only a youngster when he was at the SCL Stadium and if he had the opportunity to stay in Berkshire for a lot longer than he did, that stability could have made him an even better player than he is now.

With this in mind, his presence could have helped to prevent the Royals from spending millions on signings who didn't live up to expectations, including £3.75m addition Tiago Ilori.

Not only could the Georgian have been an asset on the pitch, but he could have also been sold for a hefty amount to another club.

The fact the defender is appearing at Euro 2024 shows the Royals did the right thing by recruiting him back in 2013.

The club's recruitment has been fairly poor over the past 10 years, even though there have been some good signings.

In fact, some of their better players in recent years have come from the academy, with Michael Olise securing a move to Crystal Palace, Omar Richards making the switch to Bayern Munich before going on to play for other clubs and Tom Holmes becoming a solid first-teamer before his move to Luton Town.