Leeds United have had many talented young players come and go during the last decade; Robert Snodgrass, Lewis Cook, and Sam Byram just to name a few.
As I watched Newcastle beat the Whites on Sunday afternoon, there was one young player that caught my eye. That player was Charlie Taylor.
Before the game, the media had been talking about the Magpies having an interest in his teammate, Ronaldo Viera. He may be a good player, but his performance against the league leaders was certainly not one of his finest.
Viera completed only 61% of his passes and was substituted after just 62 minutes. It was the less talked about Taylor who was the real star of the show.
The left back was not only solid defensively, but he was able to effectively support the attack. He burst down the flank time and time again, providing Leeds with a viable outlet out of the back.
In the first half, he got in between Anita and Ritchie with some fine dribbling and went down in the box after a slight nudge from the Dutchman. Out of nothing, he had almost earned his side a penalty.
Defensively, he did a good job keeping Ritchie quiet and made some decent challenges.
This season overall, he has won 70% of his tackles and averages 1.6 interceptions per game. In comparison, Dummett has won 60% of his tackles and averages 1.2 interceptions per game.
Taylor’s numbers show that he is ready to make a step up and, in the last year or so, he has been linked with several Premier League clubs. At the age of 23, he will only get better.
Dummett, albeit solid defensively, is limited going forward. Haidara has had his fair share of injury problems and when played, he hasn’t really set the world alight. Lazaar, though, is a player I have high hopes for. Once he settles, I feel he can be a big player for us.
But if for whatever reason it doesn’t work out, Charlie Taylor would definitely be a player worth looking at.