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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Jamie Jackson

Yakubu Aiyegbeni signs for Reading from Qatar’s Al Rayyan

Yakubu Aiyegbeni
Yakubu Aiyegbeni has played for Portsmouth, Everton, Middlesbrough, Leicester and Blackburn. Photograph: Fabio De Paola

Yakubu Aiyegbeni has returned to English football after signing for Reading as a free agent until the end of the season, the Berkshire club becoming the sixth English team he has played for.

The 32-year-old Nigerian’s last club was Al Rayyan in Qatar, with Reading now becoming the 12th of a peripatetic career. In England he has also played for Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton, Leicester City, and Blackburn Rovers.

The Nigerian left Ewood Park in May 2012 for Guangzhou FC in Chinese football having scored 17 times in 29 Premier League appearances as the Lancashire club were relegated to the Championship.

The Reading manager, Steve Clarke, told the Reading website: “Yakubu brings a fantastic scoring record to this club and his addition will complement the strikers we’ve already got and help us to improve as a team in latter stages of the season.

“I know all about him as a player and I have heard very good reports about him as a personality in the dressing room. He is no-risk signing for us and I look forward to him scoring goals.”

With Reading 16th in the table, seven points above the relegation zone, Clarke will hope Yakubu – who has scored nearly 150 goals in English football – can instantly find form.

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