Stoke City manager Alex Neil insists former Bristol Rovers defender Connor Taylor will not be allowed to leave this month after turning down bids to take him on loan.
The Gas are among clubs that registered an interest in sealing a deal for the centre-back this month, with Joey Barton eager to solidify a defence that has kept just five clean sheets and conceded 43 goals in 26 games this term.
Taylor was a star performer in the Rovers team that won promotion from League Two last season, playing 47 times in all competitions and developing into the defensive anchor at the heart of Barton's back four, despite joining as a 19-year-old who had made just one EFL appearance.
He scored three goals, too, including the first in the 7-0 win against Scunthorpe United that snatched third place from Northampton Town on goals scored on the final day of the campaign. His stellar performances led Rovers to pursue a return in the summer, but Taylor earned a place in the Potters' first-team squad after an impressive pre-season.
However, after starting nine of the first 11 Championship fixtures for Stoke this season, the sacking of Michael O'Neill and former Preston North End boss Neil's appointment has seen him drift out of contention, with his last league appearance on September 17, alerting clubs including Rovers to his potential availability this month.
The player's connection with the Gas and his former coaches and teammates remains strong, and he watched the 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday in October from the away end.
But clubs eager to sign Taylor – who was back in the side for Sunday's FA Cup win at Hartlepool United – in this window are set to be disappointed with the Stoke manager declaring he intends to keep the player with the club for the end of the season.
"Connor has got great scope," he told Stoke-on-Trent Live after Sunday's FA Cup tie. "There are teams that are interested in Connor and I’m very reluctant to let Connor go. Connor is going to stay here for the rest of the season, we’re not going to let him out.
"We’ve had a few teams ask for him on loan but that’s not going to happen.
"I think he’s got a bright future. I still think he’s got things he can improve, as every player has, but he’s big, he steps into the game well, he’s got good feet, he can move when he needs to move in terms of covering spaces.
"I think he’s got a lot to offer. The likelihood is that Connor Taylor will be here at the end of the window. He won’t be going anywhere."
After a chastening start to the season for every Rovers player in 2021, Taylor settled into the side and helped create a defensive security that underpinned the promotion push in the second half of the season.
His goal against Scunthorpe was the most memorable, but he scored two more for the Gas, and both were pivotal. His first came in September 2021 at Walsall in a 2-1 win, ending a miserable run of form away from home, and his winner against Bradford in April delivered a pivotal three points in the run-in.
He was part of an excellent loan class for Rovers last season, with James Connolly, Elliot Anderson, Luke Thomas and Sion Spence also making pivotal contributions. Connolly is the only member of that quintet to have returned despite efforts to bring back Thomas and Anderson as well as Taylor – and after Neil's comments on Sunday it looks set to remain that way.
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