Ex Tottenham and QPR star loved by Mauricio Pochettino snapped up by EFL club

Former Tottenham Hotspur and QPR midfielder Tom Carroll has signed for League One outfit Reading on a short term contract, his 10th club at the age of 32.

The midfielder had been playing for MK Dons in League Two this season but mutually terminated his contract on February 3, having not featured in five matchday squads in a row. It took Carroll little time to find a new challenge with Reading confirming his arrival on Monday.

The Berkshire club sits ninth in League One and are play-off contenders with just three points between them and the top six. The Royals remain under an EFL transfer embargo as a turbulent financial period continues.

Tom Carroll joins Reading

A statement from the club read: “Reading Football Club are delighted to announce the signing of Tom Carroll on a short term contract until the end of the 2024/25 campaign. The deal will be completed following EFL and The FA ratification, and will see the midfielder join up with the Royals for the remaining 13 Sky Bet League One fixtures of the season.

First Team Manager Noel Hunt added: "We're delighted to bring in a player of Tom's experience into the building to bolster our options in the final stages of the season. He's someone who has played a huge number of games across the EFL and Premier League, and as a person he is just the kind of character we are looking to recruit into our squad."

Carroll is a product of the Tottenham Hotspur youth academy and spent nine years at the club. The midfielder made 56 first team appearances for Spurs while on the books between 2010 and 2017 but was often sent on loan. Leyton Orient, Derby County, QPR and Swansea City all acquired the player’s services on a temporary deal at one point.

The former England under-21 international eventually moved on to Swansea City before joining the R’s on a one-year deal in 2020. QPR did offer Carroll another deal at the end of the season but he chose to move on and joined Ipswich Town.

When re-joining QPR in 2020, Carroll talked of his love for the club. He said: “I’m delighted to be back. I’ve been training here for the last couple of weeks and things have obviously gone well.

“I like the way the manager (Mark Warburton) wants to play. Hopefully that suits me and we can push on together. He wants me to enjoy myself. Now it’s about showing what I can do.

“It’s a really young squad – especially compared to last time I was here. It’s a good squad, a talented one, too, and hopefully I can help them along the way.

“I feel like my playing style will suit the club – hopefully I can get on the ball and help us play. I was on the end of a drubbing with Swansea last season in the FA Cup and there are some really talented players here – match-winners and players who are capable of playing at a really high level. Hopefully we can build on last season and really push on.”

Ex Tottenham Hotspur star praised by Mauricio Pochettino

Carroll made his most Premier League appearances for Spurs under Mauricio Pochettino during the 2015/16 campaign and earned praise from the manager. Speaking in December 2015, after the player bagged his first ever top flight goal against Norwich City, Pochettino said: "This is what we want when players come on from the bench.

"Tom made a real impact for the team and we are very pleased for him. He deserves this moment because he works hard in training. He deserved to play today.

"I was very pleased with the performance and we have to congratulate the players. It was a difficult game and we started with difficulty in the first 15 minutes, but the final result was very good and we deserved to score more."

In other news, this is how QPR and Millwall fare in a predicted Championship table following the latest round of fixtures.