READING FC boss Jaap Stam admitted Lewis Grabban was not at the top of his summer shopping list after the striker's loan spell at Madejski Stadium.

Grabban joined Royals on a temporary basis in a dramatic eleventh-hour deadline day switch back in January after falling out of favour at his parent club AFC Bournemouth.

The 29-year-old forward struggled for form at first and often found himself playing out wide on the right.

He did however score a thunderbolt against Rotherham United and notched a total of three goals in 19 appearances under Stam.

Grabban played his final game for club in the play-off final defeat against Huddersfield Town, when he partnered Yann Kermorgant upfront.

The Chronicle understands Royals had an option to bring Grabban back to Berkshire on a permanent basis but the club opted against activating the clause.

"We are looking for certain types of players," asserted Stam.

"Lewis was here on loan and he did is best in terms of how he wanted to play.

“He played upfront in a two and sometimes he played on the wings in an attacking three.

“We looked at every aspect of Lewis, whether we could bring him in again and whether he was the player who we felt could do the job for us this season.

“Eventually we decided that perhaps he is not the top choice for us, maybe the second or third choice.

Reports emerged towards the end of the 2016/17 season that Grabban would hold crunch talks with Cherries' boss Eddie Howe regarding his future.

Grabban has now joined Championship rivals Sunderland on a season-long loan deal after being told his first-team opportunities at Vitality Stadium would be limited.

The forward scored from the penalty spot on his debut for the Black Cats.

Stam concluded: "Lewis as a person is great and he did well for us when he was here.

"But just because he was here on loan that doesn't mean he had to be our top priority.”