Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has refused to comment on the possibility of Lyle Taylor joining Birmingham City permanently in the summer.
Taylor, 32, joined Birmingham City on loan from Nottingham Forest in January. Since, the Montserrat striker has scored four goals in nine Championship outings for Blues, resurrecting his Championship career after a tough season-and-a-half with Forest.
Birmingham City manager Lee Bowyer has already discussed the possibility of signing Taylor permanently in the summer – he’s open to the idea but recognised that it’s largely out of his hands whether or not the club makes his stay permanent.
And now, Cooper has had his say on the matter, telling NottinghamshireLive:
“Now’s not the time to be thinking about that. Like we said at the start of the loan for him, go do well for the six months or so and then we’ll pick it up at the end of the season, like with all the other boys.
“I’ve kept in touch with him. He’s been here a couple of times as well, since the loan. He’s benefiting from it, for sure. It’s been good to see him smiling.
“Like all players want to do, he wants to play. Birmingham have given him that opportunity. He, them and us have benefited from it so far.”
What will Taylor want?
Like Cooper says above, Taylor just wants to play football. Should Forest secure promotion to the Premier League this season then it seems highly likely that they’ll sanction another summer move for the striker, as he surely won’t be favoured in the top flight.
But if Forest miss out on promotion and Taylor continues his scoring form for Birmingham City, then Cooper might be looking at him as a viable option in his first-team going into the next campaign.
It’s a difficult one to predict, but the striker has certainly given Cooper something to think about ahead of the summer.
