Player’s Chelsea snub is benefitting Reading FC in a positive way: View | OneFootball

Reading signed Ben Elliott back in the summer and at the time, he wasn't very well-known.

Coming in from Chelsea, he starred for their academy, but never made a first-team appearance for them and this move seemed like it would benefit all parties.

The Royals needed more creativity and at the time, it looked as though he had a chance of becoming a regular starter in a central attacking midfield position at some point, although he didn't fit into Ruben Selles' 4-2-2-2 system, the formation that the Royals started the season with.

In the end, something had to give with the Berkshire side struggling during the early stages of the campaign, and Selles finally decided to switch to a 4-1-4-1 and a 4-2-3-1.

These systems looked set to benefit Harvey Knibbs and Elliott, both of whom are clearly better when they play centrally.

But whilst Knibbs has thrived, registering 15 goals and six assists in all competitions this season, Elliott has often struggled to get game time.

And a decent chunk of that game time has come on the wing, a position that clearly doesn't suit the Cameroon international.

He can get past players, but he has rarely had success out wide and was criticised following performances against Cambridge United and Northampton Town last month, when he was forced to start on the left-hand side.

Up until recent times, his only major highlights of the season came against Exeter City in the EFL Trophy and Carlisle United when the Royals played the Cumbrians at home in the league.

Registering a goal and an assist at St James' Park in a 9-0 win, he showed his quality in Devon that evening. And his delightful ball through to Femi Azeez for the Royals' fifth goal against Carlisle in November is a moment that ought to be highlighted.

Ben Elliott's turnaround at Reading FC justifies Chelsea snub

Overall, Elliott hasn't enjoyed the best season, but Selles decided to give him the opportunity to start centrally against Lincoln City earlier this month.

There were worries that he may be lacking the physicality to be in central midfield along with Lewis Wing and fellow attack-minded midfielder Knibbs, but he showed great maturity in the middle of the park and justified Selles' decision to gamble on him.

He has started in that role and since then, the Royals have gone on to secure survival.

It would be ridiculous to claim that the midfielder has played a huge part in the club securing League One safety, because in truth, his impact has been limited across the season.

But he is finally getting the chance to thrive in a central role and has taken this chance with both hands, performing above average in the four consecutive games that he has started and putting his stamp on matches with his technical ability.

Earlier this season, Elliott may have been questioning whether it was the right decision for him to move on from Stamford Bridge, with his lack of game time at the Select Car Leasing Stadium in mind.

He could have continued to develop in a world-class academy without needing to leave his comfort zone.

But this term, he has managed to get some senior experience under his belt and is now starting regularly in his preferred position, with one more game left to go this season to make an impact in.

If he can put in an excellent performance against Blackpool at the weekend, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him start for Selles' side on the opening day of next term.

This season, with the off-field issues that the club has had, would have been a real learning curve for him and in a strange way, he has probably benefitted from this turmoil.

It has probably built up his resilience and will make him a better player for the future.