Lyle Taylor is currently the name on everyone’s lips. Earlier in the week, he and two other Charlton Athletic players announced that would not play any part in the remainder of the season. Taylor will also not be extending his contract beyond the 30th June, enabling him to join another club on a free transfer. The likes of Celtic, Rangers and Galatasaray have all been linked with the 30-year-old.
There has been lots of talk amongst managers, pundits and former players as to whether Taylor’s decision not to play is justified. Taylor himself has finally broken the silence as to why he has made the decision. Talking to Sky Sports this morning, Taylor had this to say,
“I’ve sat in my living room staring at a blank TV screen for hours on end these last few weeks. I’ve not eaten or slept properly. I’ve been up ’til 5am listening to the birds chirping thinking about it. Then I finally came to the decision together with the manager that he has openly spoken about. He said to me ‘Lyle I can see how cut up this has made you’. But this is a time nobody has had to deal with before – lockdown has been difficult for everyone. I’m gutted at the way it’s finishing, but I don’t expect people to care. I know that once the damage is done it’s irreparable and I don’t really expect any sympathy.”
“I want to play to keep this team in the league; we have worked so hard to get here. But there is something in the back of my head that says if you get a serious injury the chance you have worked and dreamed of since you were six-years-old is gone. I’m not 26 or 27 – I’m 30 years old. The way I play, it puts me in positions that I could get seriously injured at any time.”
Taylor spent a large proportion of the season with a knee injury and does not want that to be what costs him a lucrative deal to a bigger club.
There certainly hasn’t been a great deal of sympathy following Taylor’s comments this morning.
Twitter: @SkySportsNews What a load of crap. If I was at a club thinking of signing him he has talked himself out of a move.… https://t.co/o56tJJg50H (@kevinlowther1)
Twitter: @SkySportsNews No Lyle it won’t be acceptance you get. It will be being remembered as a quitter, as a coward who br… https://t.co/4wmZWjecAN (@Maccn5)
Twitter: @SkySportsNews @lyletaylor90 I don’t like your decision, I will never understand your decision and I don’t wish you well. (@charlton_dunc)
The72 Verdict
Fans, of course, will be left disappointed, some angry that Taylor is unwilling to help the club avoid relegation, especially as he played such a big part in getting them promoted.
It is a very bold decision that Taylor has made and one that looks like it wasn’t an easy one to make. A footballers career is all too short, and many unfortunately have had their careers cut short before making their ‘big move’. At 30 years old this is Taylor’s last chance to earn that.