Former Newcastle United midfielder Danny Guthrie has today signed a three-year deal with Premier League newcomers Reading on a Bosman, it has today been confirmed.

Guthrie, 25, joined Newcastle in 2008 from Liverpool for a fee believed to be around £2.5 million. During his time with the club, Guthrie made 104 appearances, scoring 9 times, and was an integral player in Newcastle United’s 2009/10 Championship winning team.

Guthrie was confirmed to have left Newcastle upon the expiration of his contract after he expressed a strong desire to play more regular first-team football, something which was no longer possible at Newcastle with Cheik Tiote and Yohan Cabaye cemented in the heart of the Newcastle midfield.

The transfer will be formally completed on Sunday, July 1st, the opening of the English transfer window, subject to the ratification of the contractual document by both The FA and Premier League.

John Madjeski speaking to Reading’s official club website had the following to say on the arrival of Danny Guthrie;

“I would like to welcome Danny to Reading Football Club and wish him every success here,

He is a highly-regarded player and it speaks volumes that he decided to join us here at Reading. He has rightly recognised that these are exciting times to be associated with our club and its potential”

Danny Guthrie himself described the transfer as a “no-brainer”;

“It feels brilliant to have signed, it is a great honour and I am very excited. As soon as I met the manager and Nick Hammond my mind was made up, it was a no-brainer.

Reading Football Club is a fantastic family club, well run and I’m so excited to be part of something special for this club”