Stoke City manager Michael O’Neill has given a clear indication that Bristol Rovers have a good chance of re-signing Connor Taylor on loan again this season by declaring that the next step for the centre-back is playing in League One.
Taylor has returned to the Potters after a stellar campaign on loan for the Gas in which he started 41 of a possible 46 games in League Two as a mainstay of Joey Barton’s defence and was named the club’s Young Player of the Year.
The 20-year-old, in his first season in senior football, anchored a resolute Rovers backline that kept 17 clean sheets as they secured promotion into the third tier.
Impressive both in his defensive duties but his progressive style on the ball, Barton has always maintained he would like to bring Taylor back to north Bristol, along with the other loanees Rovers had at the club in 2021/22, but each decision will be made by the respective parent club.
In Stoke’s case the feeling has always been that Taylor will report for pre-season and have an opportunity to push himself into O’Neill’s thinking for the forthcoming Championship campaign but if he’s still considered fourth or fifth-choice, his time may be best served away from the bet365 Stadium for another nine months.
Speaking to Stoke Live, O’Neill has continued that message but also hinted that, in the short-term, League One might be the more realistic pathway into the first-team, akin to the 18 months Harry Souttar spent with Fleetwood Town, under Barton, from January 2019 to summer 2020.
“Connor’s obviously had the best experience and he’ll come back in pre-season and we’ll see where he’s at. League Two is a good test. The next step is League One,” O’Neill said.
“I didn’t compare him to Harry Souttar but I compared the journey he has to go on to Harry. There’s no similarity in the types of centre-back that they are. We have to remember that Harry had 18 months in League One before he came back.
“We’ll see where Connor is. He’s a good young player who we have high hopes for and we have to manage him. Once he’s had a taste of first team football it’s about building on that so we’ll see what pre-season brings with him and Will Forrester.”
Bristol Live understands Rovers are not the only club in League One who have made a loan enquiry about Taylor’s availability, which further complicates the situation but, on a personal level, they would be the 20-year-old’s preference given his familiarity with the staff and set-up.
Stoke confirmed the release of James Chester last week, while loanee Taylor Harwood-Bellis has returned to Manchester City leaving them two centre-backs light from the 2021/22 squad. But the Potters are hopeful Souttar will be fit following his knee injury for the start of next season while, as O'Neill mentions, Will Forrester is another prospect for the club after making three appearances last term.
Ultimately, Rovers will simply have to wait patiently and see how the situation develops with Taylor over the summer, although it's not clear at which point in pre-season a decision will be made.
Ideally, Barton would like to reunite Taylor with James Connolly, who has also returned to his parent club but Cardiff City are still to confirm their retained list which would outline whether or not a 12-month option has been taken on the defender’s contract which is currently due to expire later this month.
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