Bristol born midfielder Harvey Knibbs has become the Addicks ninth signing of the summer, arriving from Reading and signing a four year deal.
Knibbs was signed to the Nottingham Forest academy at aged 9 before being released at 14 and joining Aston Villa. He failed to make a senior appearance for the Birmingham outfit and moved to Cambridge United in 2019. He would go on to make 156 competitive appearances and notch 26 goals for The U’s.
Following the expiration of his contract in 2023 Knibbs joined Reading, becoming their first signing after the lift of a transfer embargo. The 2023/34 season turned out to be fruitful as he recorded 16 goals and 6 assists. No other Reading player had scored 15 goals since Dave Kitson in 2005/06. Knibbs finished off last season with another 16 goals and 6 assists as Reading just missed out on a play off finish.
The 26 year old primarily acts in the number ten role but also has the skillset to play further back as an eight. Reading fans rave about Knibbs’s ability to press, his relentless energy and his strength in the tackle so it is no mystery as to why Nathan Jones targeted him throughout the summer. It is likely that he has been earmarked to play as a number ten, replacing Luke Berry although Sonny Carey has been signed to play the same position and will be sure to provide stiff competition. Carey played a lot fewer games than Knibbs last term. The former Blackpool man was on the pitch for an average of 64 mins per match as opposed to Knibbs’s 86. Despite his superior minutes, Knibbs took 10 less shots than Carey and Carey hit the target with 48% of his shots, more accurate than Knibbs with 42%.
Knibbs seems like the perfect number ten for Jones. He is durable, hard working but also has quality on the ball. The Addicks aren’t likely to have much possession in the Championship and will need new signings Knibbs, Rob Apter, Charlie Kelman and Tanto Olaofe to create and convert chances with pieces of magic.
Nathan Jones told the club website that he’s “delighted we’ve been able to get the signing of Harvey over the line. We wanted to add goals to us over the summer and Harvey is a key player we earmarked a long time ago. He’s a goalscoring midfielder who is a consistent performer. He has good pedigree, he’s athletic, he scores goals and he’s young enough that he will continue to improve.”
The player himself added that “[Nathan Jones] convinced me straight away - you can tell how passionate he is about what he’s doing, the team and the plans that he’s got for me. I’m excited to test myself at Championship level and I can’t wait for the season to start now.”
Welcome to SE7, Harvey.