There is something fundamentally wrong when a club spends a seven-figure sum on a striker and, within months, the debate shifts from how to maximise his output to whether he should be moved on quietly.

The reported fee Huddersfield paid for Joe Taylor is £3m, and yet just a year later, he is relegated to warming up before the game against former loan club Lincoln City, without even being in the squad. That is not an isolated failure of form. It points to problems in recruitment alignment, tactical usage, and long-term planning.

Taylor has not delivered what was expected; that is undeniable and should not be avoided. But the speed with which the conversation has hardened into dismissal ignores how he has actually been used. He was not signed to operate as a lone forward with his back to goal, asked to chase lost causes and judged on moments that play directly against his strengths. That role strips his game down to its weakest elements while offering almost none of what makes him effective.

Joe Taylor’s strengths

When Taylor has been played in behind, attacking space, running off a partner, and receiving passes early rather than with defenders tight to him, the logic behind the signing becomes obvious. Those moments have been rare. Instead, he has been isolated, asked to fill structural gaps, and rotated in and out without rhythm. Declaring a player a failure under those conditions says more about the system than the individual.

The comparison with Alfie May and Dion Charles explains much of the frustration. Both offer relentless work without the ball, press naturally, and fit a model that prioritises intensity and recovery as much as goal output. That makes them safer selections. Taylor does not give the same off-ball security, but that does not make him unusable. It makes him specific. If only one striker profile is acceptable, recruitment must reflect that reality. Buying a player whose value depends on partnership play and then refusing to provide it is a self-inflicted problem.

Joe Taylor. pic.twitter.com/NKjUEHJcJQ

— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) July 9, 2024

Wider concerns

The wider concern extends beyond one player; it reaches deep into Huddersfield’s culture right now. Large fees, high wages, and assets that rapidly depreciate through misalignment are creating long-term damage. Once confidence drains away and crowd perception turns, resale value collapses, and options narrow for moving players on. Allowing a significant investment to drift into irrelevance benefits nobody, but it is becoming reflective of the Huddersfield way at the moment.

This situation remains recoverable. A defined role for Taylor, consistent pairing, and acceptance of the tactical compromises involved would at least allow a fair assessment of his talents. If that route is not taken, then honesty is required about where the failure lies. Continuing with half measures, where a major signing exists on the fringes while debates rage about effort, pace, or attitude, is how clubs waste money and repeat the same mistakes.

This is not about defending an underperforming Joe Taylor. It is about Terriers’ fans rightly demanding coherence between recruitment, system, and usage. Without that, the cycle simply repeats, and League One will become their permanent home, much like it has for Barnsley.