Joel Pereira has been signed by Reading to a one-year contract after serving as a long-term trialist.
The 25-year-old goalkeeper has been a preseason member of the Royals, but it is only now, eight days after the summer transfer window closed, that he formally signs.
The Portuguese goalkeeper, who was formerly with Manchester United and played three times after passing through the development system, has spent two of his six loan periods away from Old Trafford playing in League One and the Championship.
The goalkeeper played five times with RKC Waalewijk in the Dutch top division before leaving permanently in 2021.
In the first-team goalkeeper union, he is joined by David Button and Coniah Boyce-Clarke, with Dean Bouzanis going on loan to his old team, Sutton United.
“Our goal during this summer’s rebuilding process has been to create strength in depth across all areas of the pitch,” said Mark Bowen, the Royals’ Head of Football Operations. Joel’s hiring gives us an additional goalkeeping option, and during his time in training with the club, he has demonstrated a desire to put in the effort necessary to live up to our high standards and challenge the other goalkeepers for the starting position.
The 27-year-old, who played once for Manchester United in the Premier League after rising through the ranks of the club’s academy, has the option to prolong his stay by a further 12 months.
After two years, he left Dutch team RKC Waalwijk in the summer.
He has performed as a loan player for six organizations, including Hearts of Scotland, Rochdale, and Huddersfield.
“Joel’s recruitment gives us another option in the goalkeeping department, and during his time training with the team, he has shown a desire to work hard to meet our high standards and to push the other goalkeepers for that starting spot,” Reading’s director of football operations Mark Bowen said on the club website.