Reading’s summer signing Lewis Wing has quickly become a fan favourite in Berkshire and part of that is down to his phenomenal ball-striking ability. Wing is ambitious and forward-thinking when he gets on the ball, often seeing things fans in the stands cannot. But the midfielder’s eye for goal is something that constantly leaves Reading fans in disbelief.
Wing has scored five League One goals this season with a combined xG (expected goals) of just 0.33! With his catalogue of ‘worldies’, Wing seems to be having a Goal of the Season competition against himself!
The latest addition to Wing’s catalogue came on Tuesday night against Port Vale when his half-volley from the edge of the area had an xG of just 0.01! The ball came to him from a cleared corner, about 25 yards out, he took one touch to control before arrowing his shot into the corner through the crowded penalty area.
The highest xG of any of Wing’s League One goals this season is 0.11 and was against Portsmouth, which was also his first in blue and white. He again received the ball from a defensive clearance, took it down with the outside of his right before smashing it into the top corner with his weaker left foot.
This isn’t something new to Lewis Wing's game, when at Wycombe Wanderers Wing scored from just inside his own half which was another goal with a 0.01 xG.
To further cement that these aren’t just flukes, since 2019-20 Lewis Wing has scored the second most goals from outside the box in England’s top four tiers with 19. So far 3 have these have come in a Reading shirt and two in the last three games.
As a player, Lewis Wing tends to drop deep and use his extensive range of passing to play over the opposition midfield and into attacking areas. Wing will often drop in beside the right centre-back and look to switch the play for the left winger.
At times he will also look more centrally and try to play straight into the striker. Wing can vary these balls, sometimes playing into the striker’s feet or chest and other times looking to go over the top and give them something to chase in behind.
Despite attempting the riskier passes, Wing’s completion rate is still impressive. Completing 116 long passes this season along with 992 total passes, putting him in the top 1% of similar players for both stats.
Signing Lewis Wing was a piece of business that went under the radar by many in the football league. Wing chose Berkshire instead of QPR in late July, signing a three-year deal with the Royals just as he enters his peak years.
So far in his Reading career, Wing has contributed six goals and nine assists in 37 appearances across all competitions. His performances in blue and white have put him well on his way to being in contention for Player of the Season in a few months.
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