Huddersfield Town head coach Lee Grant has admitted he cannot rule out a January departure for out-of-favour striker Joe Taylor, with the forward continuing to struggle for minutes in West Yorkshire.
The 23-year-old, who cost a reported £3m when he joined from Luton Town, has not featured since December 9 and has been left out of five of Town’s last six matchday squads, prompting renewed speculation over his short-term future during the winter transfer window. Taylor arrived at the John Smith’s Stadium as a major investment, but his first year at the club has proven difficult.
Grant acknowledged that situations like Taylor’s inevitably lead to wider conversations behind the scenes.
“I don’t know. I really don’t,” Grant told local press. “”I think there’s probably several obvious ones where you can look at (it) and say ‘well, if he’s not playing, I don’t know how that situation continues to be as it is’.
“So that’s an obvious one, and there’s maybe one or two others like that, where you can look at and go, ‘well, that probably doesn’t work for the club or the player or the manager or anybody if that one’s not going in the right direction’.
“So again, I’ll try to look at all of those ones individually as and when.”
Taylor’s career to date has been defined by sharp contrasts between explosive loan spells and more challenging permanent moves. After being released by Norwich City as a teenager, he rebuilt his career at non-league level with King’s Lynn Town before a remarkable loan at Wroxham in 2021-22, where he scored 20 goals in 11 league appearances. That form earned him a move to Peterborough United, although first-team opportunities proved limited.
A switch to Luton Town followed in January 2023, but it was away from Kenilworth Road where Taylor truly flourished. His time at Lincoln City proved a breakthrough, scoring 10 goals in 19 League One appearances, including a hat trick in a 5-0 win over Bristol Rovers. That run of form saw him collect both the EFL League One Player of the Month and Young Player of the Month awards for March 2024, as well as the club’s Golden Boot.
Huddersfield moved to secure his signature in January 2025 on a long-term deal, viewing him as a forward capable of carrying momentum from those prolific spells into a permanent role. However, despite six goals across 33 appearances, Taylor has struggled to establish himself as a regular starter this season, with competition for places and form disrupting his rhythm.
Where next?
With Taylor proven at League One level when trusted with regular minutes, interest elsewhere would be no surprise if Huddersfield decide that a loan or permanent move best serves all parties. As Grant suggested, the coming weeks may determine whether Town persist with a long-term project, or allow a natural goalscorer to seek a fresh start in search of consistency and confidence.
One issue is Huddersfield’s status as a promotion challenger. Taylor will see himself as a top-end League One striker, and rightly so, but will the Terriers strengthen a rival? If not, then there are only really a small handful of clubs that are not currently within touching distance of Huddersfield, where a loan might be viable.
They’re unlikely to recoup much of the reported £3m (although that fee is likely to be much lower given performance-related bonuses), but perhaps a move outside of the UK would be viable?
