The Imps are set to secure the signing of 21-year-old Joe Taylor on loan from Luton Town, according to Football Insider.
Rather foolishly, I staked every penny in my bank account that we wouldn’t sign Taylor. Last week, he was linked with us, Wycombe, Oxford and Bolton, a list of clubs that I felt we were likely to be towards the bottom of, and that’s if we were interested at all (given the rule of three, which is three clubs linked, baseless rumour). Instead, Peter O’Rourke is saying he feels we’ve won the race, and he isn’t the only one.
There were rumours on the Vital Lincoln City forum that Taylor was at the EPC yesterday, and whilst I’ve had nothing official in terms of a press release, the move for the striker is looking more likely by the hour. I said on a recent podcast I didn’t feel he was the profile of striker we needed, but with Freddie since returning to the club, Taylor offers something different.
The youngster was on the books of Norwich City as a youth player, later appearing for King’s Lynn and Swaffham before a move to Wroxham. He caught the eye of Peterborough United, who snapped him up for an undisclosed fee in November 2021.
He turned out 19 times for Posh, scoring once away at Plymouth in the EFL Trophy, but clearly caught the eye of the bigger boys. Luton snapped him up last January, and he played a part in their promotion to the Premier League. He scored in extra time of their play-off final, only for it to be ruled out, before keeping his nerve to bag a penalty as they made their way back to the top flight after a 30-year absence.
❌ No goal! Late drama as Joe Taylor's strike is ruled out by VAR for a handball in the build-up! #EFLPlayOffs | #StepUp https://t.co/1nm5JRRbQS
— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) May 27, 2023
Taylor had clearly impressed, and as senior football was needed, a loan deal to Colchester was sorted this summer. His time in Essex has been a success – he’s hit 12 goals and added two assists in a struggling team. He was recalled yesterday, having not played in Danny Cowley’s first game in charge of the club, and is set to link up with the Imps if reports are to be believed.
What I have to say is, whilst you can never bring goals into a team as a guarantee, we’ve certainly done our best in the early part of this window. Jack Moylan, Freddie Draper and Joe Taylor have 43 goals between them in 2023 and nine assists. That’s 52 goal involvements – the Imps have scored 52 goals in League One as a team in the same period.
There’s no guarantee that Joe Taylor will be a success if he signs, but likewise, there’s no guarantee he won’t be. What it does mean is that as we move towards the weekend, Wycombe on the horizon, there’s every chance we will have a full forward line, three players (plus a returning Reeco) who can add value to the front three. It feels a bit like Plymouth away in 2022, when we were shot-shy going into the game, but turned up with Whittaker, Marquis and Liam Cullen making their first starts as a trio.
Also, he wouldn’t be the first striker called Taylor we have loaned from Luton – in September 1996, we borrowed John Taylor from Luton Town. He bagged two in five matches, including a late goal against Cardiff on his debut, but by November 1996, he was loaned to (here’s irony for you, Alanis) Colchester, scoring twice as they beat us 7-1!
I’ll await news later today, but at the time of writing, we have nothing. I’m away for the day now, visiting my Dad, so any analysis will have to wait until later.