Arsenal may rue not beating Nottingham Forest to Reading FC transfer | OneFootball

Arsenal were linked with Tyler Bindon for a while, but Nottingham Forest signed him. He has huge potential and has the qualities to thrive.

Arsenal may regret losing out to Nottingham Forest in the race to sign Reading’s Tyler Bindon.

The Kiwi has been a shining star in what’s been a pretty miserable couple of years surrounding the Berkshire club. With Bindon’s impressive performances and the current state of the club’s finances, interest was to be expected in January.

Arsenal were linked with the youngster for a while, but the Gunners were beaten to his signature by top-four rivals, Nottingham Forest. This transfer miss could be one that the London giants regret in the future, as Bindon has all the qualities to be a world-class defender.

Bindon’s incredible rise to Reading stardom

The story of Bindon’s emergence is a rather interesting one. Football runs in the youngster’s blood, as his mother earned 77 caps for the New Zealand women’s national team. He moved to America with his family when his mother was hired as a coach for the UCLA women’s soccer team.

Having spent time in the LAFC academy after his move to the States, the next chapter for Bindon was an interesting one, as he headed to England at the age of 18 to join up with newly-relegated Reading. This move would prove to be the catalyst for his path to success.

He played 40 times in his first season with the Royals, scoring two goals and establishing himself as a top prospect for the future. This saw clubs higher up the pyramid, such as Arsenal, linked with a move for the defender. However, the youngster would remain at the Madjeski Stadium in the summer.

After continuing to catch the eye, the 20-year-old got his big move in January 2025, but it wasn’t to the Emirates Stadium. High-flying Nottingham Forest snapped the New Zealand international up, loaning him back to Reading for the remainder of the 2024/25 season.

Arsenal may rue losing out to Nottingham Forest for Reading ace

With Bindon’s next club secured, Arsenal might kick themselves in a few years for missing out on the centre-back. Should the Kiwi continue on his impressive trajectory, there’s no reason why he can’t be playing in the Premier League next season.

The 20-year-old has already proven he’s far too good for League One but has been allowed to stay at Reading for the rest of the current campaign as part of the deal between Forest and the Royals.

Ideally, Forest would've been able to loan Bindon to the Championship for the rest of the season as his next logical step in development. But, the ongoing saga behind the scenes in Berkshire meant they were happy to allow him to stay at the SCL Stadium.

Over his time in England thus far, Bindon has proven he has all the minerals to be a top centre-back.

His defensive abilities coupled with his composure on the ball make him well-suited for the modern, possession-based game. It seems Nuno Espírito Santo has pulled off a real coup by winning the race for defender.

Whilst Arsenal have got William Saliba and Gabriel, it seems the sky is the limit for Bindon, who could develop into a world-class defender. If this happens, the Gunners will be kicking themselves for missing out on the Kiwi, as they could’ve secured his services from Reading for a lot cheaper than what it could cost in the future. There’s a long way to go for Bindon, but Arsenal may rue missing out on signing him in the future.