Exclusive: Sky Sports pundit tells West Brom they "will regret" Caleb Taylor, Millwall transfer deal | OneFootball

The 22-year-old recently signed for Millwall from West Brom

Millwall recently completed the signing of Caleb Taylor from West Bromwich Albion, ending his 13-year association with the Baggies.

The 22-year-old spent last season on loan with Wycombe Wanderers and made 36 League One appearances, playing in both legs of the Chairboys’ play-off semi-final defeat against Charlton Athletic.

He became the Lions’ sixth permanent signing of the window, following the captures of Josh Coburn, Massimo Luongo, Max Crocombe, Alfie Doughty and Zak Sturge. Taylor came through the Baggies’ academy system, making his debut against Arsenal in 2021.

The centre-back completed 90 minutes in the League Cup during Albion’s clash with Derby County earlier this season, but has been allowed to leave by Ryan Mason.

Millwall’s decision to acquire Taylor for £2.5 million was a direct result of Japhet Tanganga’s move to Sheffield United, with Chris Mepham’s transfer to The Hawthorns completing the puzzle.

It was reported that the Lions have held an interest in securing the young defender’s services before the window even started, and Alex Neil has now had his wish granted.

Lee Hendrie weighs in on West Brom’s Caleb Taylor sale

However, speaking exclusively to Football League World, Sky Sports pundit and former Aston Villa midfielder, Lee Hendrie, believes that West Bromwich Albion may have made a mistake by letting Taylor exit the club.

“I think they will regret selling Caleb Taylor,” Hendrie told FLW.

“I'm not saying that West Brom are financially secure, and I think that might be one of the reasons why they’ve sold.

“When you sell your best players, you sell your up-and-coming players, I think there will always be a sign of regret there.

“He certainly has got real quality. So, I do think that this will come back and certainly bite them."

West Brom may have been forced into Caleb Taylor sale

Soccer Football - FA Cup - Third Round - AFC Bournemouth v West Bromwich Albion - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - January 11, 2025 West Bromwich Albion's Caleb Taylor scores their first goal Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra

On paper, West Brom’s decision to let Taylor go doesn’t look wise and is rightly open for criticism.

The Burnley-born defender is a young talent who has come through the academy ranks has been allowed to sign for one of the Baggies’ division rivals, which won’t best please a lot of the club’s supporters.

However, Mason’s central defensive options currently consist of Nat Phillips, Krystian Bielik, George Campbell and Chris Mepham, so it could be argued that there was little room for Taylor to slot into the Black Country outfit’s back-line, given that kind of experience - he would also give the club pure profit for PSR purposes.

After such an impressive campaign in League One, the centre-half proved that he has what it takes to play at a higher level, which is something that West Brom couldn’t provide him on a regular basis.