After arriving on loan for the 2020-1 campaign, Arthur Read made such an impact that we made the move a permanent one in May 2021. The young midfielder first came to us from Brentford; Boro’ preparing for life in League Two after being spared relegation. And Read’s efforts in helping to push us up the table as the season wore on clearly stuck in the minds of the club’s management. And boss Alex Revell was clearly delighted to seal the deal.
That’s despite him not getting a massive amount of first-team action before arriving here. “He is a young lad, still learning the game, but has shown real talent in his play,” said the gaffer when news of the deal broke. “We’re delighted with him and his progress, and we want to help him develop into a top player at this level and above.”
From the other side, Brentford B Head Coach Neil MacFarlane added: “It’s been fantastic to see Arthur go and do well at Stevenage. He has been able to establish himself and… he’s a very talented midfielder who we feel we helped get into a really good place. Arthur is in a good position to go and continue his time with Stevenage. I believe he will continue to develop and improve playing men’s football consistently.”
Arthur Read: Before Boro’
For Read, it all started at Luton Town. But nobody’s perfect. In fact, it started quite early. The midfielder signed on the dotted line before our editor was able to colour in-between the lines. From Under-9 level, he made his way through the Hatters’ academy set-up; a scholarship secured in February 2016 to lift him onto the next stage of his development. By the end of the year, he’d turned out for the first team and gone pro.
At Kenilworth Road, his senior action came in the EFL Trophy. Otherwise, Read’s game time came more often than not in the development and U18 squads. After spending one month on loan at Hemel Hempstead Town in early 2019, he returned to the Hatters. The offer of a new development contract in the summer, however, wasn’t to his liking. So, he left the club and moved to Brentford; playing for the Championship side’s B team.
