CHARLTON ACE Lyle Taylor, the Montserrat skipper, is reluctant to return to the English Championship when the league resumes as he fancies a big money move.

The London-born journeyman 30-year-old, who was linked with Scottish giants Rangers last month, is now firmly on the radar of top Turkish team Galatasaray.

Hot-shot striker Taylor, who has bagged 11 goals this term to become Charlton’s leading scorer, is out of contract on June 30 but hasn’t trained for over a week with the club.

Injured

He has cited apprehension about getting injured in these final nine league games as he appears to be a wanted man by a clutch of clubs, so understandably doesn’t wish to risk missing out on his inaugural major move.

As the veteran soon becomes a free agent then sides will undoubtably be happy to offer Taylor his first big money deal, although if he fails to sign for Galatasaray or Rangers it is believed that fellow Championship outfits Preston North End, Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea City will try to snap him up.

Having kicked off his career at Millwall in 2007, where he failed to make an appearance over two seasons, he moved to non-league Essex club Canvey Island before then League One AFC Bournemouth swooped for Taylor.

Debut

He made his Football League debut the day after signing, yet two seasons on the south coast ended because he struggled to hold down a place in the matchday squad. Taylor moved to Scotland and made such an impact with Falkirk for one campaign that Sheffield United signed him, but then he had a spell with Scunthorpe United.

It was at AFC Wimbledon, where he spent three seasons from 2015, that he was selected for Montserrat on account of his grandparents’ heritage. He made his full international debut against hosts Dutch Caribbean Curaçao in March 2015, when he notched his only international goal in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier that finished 1-1, yet has only represented Montserrat six times.

His younger brother Joey has represented Montserrat ten times. Back in 2002 Montserrat were FIFA’s lowest-ranked team, as they rarely play due to the heavy volcanic activity on the Caribbean island since 1995.

Prowess

The nation also lags behind on the international scene, failing to make much impact in the CONCACAF region. But Taylor, should Galatasaray capture their target, could soon be making an impact on the global scene with his scoring prowess for the Turkish giants as the Istanbul club regularly make an impact in the Champions League. 

Taylor, who spent a lot of his early career on loan with various non-league sides, used to supplement his income with part-time modelling that included appearing in advertisements for the Champions League.

If his potential move works out then Taylor could come full circle and next season appear in Champions League advertisements for his ability and not just his looks.