Former Wycombe Wanderers captain Joe Jacobson is anticipated to be named Reading’s new chief executive officer.
The 37-year-old, who departed the Chairboys after a decade at Adams Park this summer, is set to take on a boardroom role at the Berkshire-based team following Rob Couhig’s potential takeover.
Couhig, who owned Wycombe Wanderers from 2019 to 2024, sold his 90 percent stake in the club to Kazakhstani-Georgian billionaire Mikheil Lomtadze in May this year.
Following his departure, Couhig has been in discussions with Reading about acquiring the club from Chinese millionaire Dai Yongge, who has significantly harmed the club’s finances since his takeover in 2017.
The American has been spotted at the Royals’ Select Car Leasing Stadium, where he has had discussions with Head of Football Operations Mark Bowen and other board members.
In a surprising move, it is expected that Jacobson, who has not publicly announced his retirement from professional football, will take up a position within the club’s hierarchy.
As first reported by Anthony Smith, formerly of the Reading Chronicle, it is believed that the Welshman will succeed Dayong Pang as the club’s Chief Executive Officer.
Jacobson made 400 appearances as a left-back for the Chairboys over a decade at Adams Park, where he served an 18-month stint as club captain.
During his tenure, he achieved promotion twice in 2018 and 2020 and played in two play-off final defeats in 2015 and 2022.
Jacobson is also one of the few players to score an EFL hat-trick through set pieces, including two corners. This remarkable feat occurred in Wanderers’ 3-1 victory over Lincoln City in September 2019, the same year he scored the winning goal against Oxford United in the play-off final at Wembley.
That goal sent the Chairboys to the Championship for the first time in their history.
Wycombe will kick off the season away at Wrexham on August 10 and will not face Reading until December, when the two sides will meet at Adams Park.
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