Should Newcastle United Sign Charlie Taylor From Leeds United?
Charlie Taylor has been a wanted man for some time now and the player himself showed a desire to leave Leeds United last season. His wish was not granted though and the young left-back stayed to play out his contract at Elland Road.
Taylor managed to hugely disappoint manager Garry Monk when he refused to play Leeds’ last game of the season and he has since been punished by the club. With his contract ending soon and Newcastle on the lookout for a new left-back, should Rafa Benitez jump in and sign him?
Although Taylor has a bright future, the very first thing Newcastle need to ask themselves is whether or not he is better than what they already have. Paul Dummett, despite some inexplicable criticism, has been very consistent and has been used by Benitez, more than any other player at the club. Here’s how his stats match up against Taylor, who played in the same division this season:
| Tackles Per Game | Interceptions | Fouls | Clearances | Blocks | Pass Completion | |
| Dummett | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 4.4 | 0.3 | 74% |
| Taylor | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 0.2 | 77% |
The two areas Taylor scores higher in are by such a small margin, while he is behind in other areas, and significantly so when it comes to clearances. Add do this Taylor’s attitude, or at least the advice being given to him by those around him, and it would be too big a risk at this stage.
Yes, Charlie Taylor is young and can improve but so can Dummett. Newcastle need to sign a good and forward-thinking left-back but spending the money on such a player would not be the right thing and the club would need to be certain that they are getting a better player than Dummett.
Having been plying his trade in the same league as Dummett, having more of a need for clearances, blocks, and tackles, we’d have expected to have seen Taylor’s stats look more impressive on paper. Unfortunately, they don’t and he is no better than Paul Dummett.
These days there is no such thing as a free transfer and so there will always be a financial risk involved for Newcastle should they attempt to make a move. With any risk at all there, Newcastle should not take a chance on signing Taylor at this stage.
Players of the ilk of Kieran Tierney, Andy Robertson or even Luke Shaw would be the way to go if Newcastle are willing to risk serious money and serious time, by bringing in and developing a new left-back.