Wycombe Wanderers have been busy in the transfer window so far and are set to announce their fifth signing of the summer, with Walsall defender Taylor Allen moving to Adams Park.
The 25-year-old scored 10 goals in the fourth tier last season for the Saddlers as they reached the play-off final before ultimately losing to AFC Wimbledon at Wembley.
However, the Walsall-born player will now make the step up with the Chairboys, who have agreed a deal with the West Midlands side, as reported by talkSPORT’s Chief Football Correspondent Alex Crook.
Allen to make move to League One promotion hopefuls
The defender was one of the stars of the Saddlers’ season and finished as their third-top scorer behind strikers Nathan Lowe and Jamille Matt, as well as converting from the penalty spot in their semi-final first leg against Chesterfield.
He scored 11 goals and picked up eight assists in 57 games in all competitions and emerged as one of the division’s leading centre-backs.
Wycombe are re-shaping their squad ahead of the 2025/26 campaign under head coach Mike Dodds, who took over in February following the departure of Matt Bloomfield to Championship side Luton Town.
At the time of his appointment, the Chairboys were second in the table but, after just seven wins in the final 20 games, fell down to fifth by the end of the season and ultimately lost to Charlton Athletic in the play-off semi-final.
However, their summer transfer window has begun brightly with the additions of Junior Quitirna, Caolan Boyd-Munce, Dan Casey and James Tilley, and Allen would further strengthen their squad with the aim of putting last season’s disappointment aside and returning to the second tier.
His signing will command a fee, with him having signed a contract extension until 2026 last summer, but it is unlikely to be too hefty with just one year remaining on his deal.
Will Allen be able to make the step up?
The young centre-half played 3,953 minutes last season in League Two, putting him behind just eight other outfield players in the division, almost doubling his previous best of 2,022 in the 2023/24 campaign.
He featured in Walsall’s top five for interceptions (50), times possession was won (182), blocks (eight), clearances (151), percentage of ground duels won (56%) and percentage of aerial duels won (53.8%), according to Opta.
This shows that he is an extremely efficient defender, but he can also contribute further up the pitch with his progressive play and attacking ability.
He made 397 carries with the ball, only behind Liam Gordon for the Saddlers, of which 267 were progressive and also overperformed his expected goals (XG) by 5.51, having scored 10 goals from an XG of just 4.49.
This was by far the best overperformance in the Walsall team and was beaten by just four plays in the league.
Furthermore, he had the side’s fourth-best shot conversion rate, as a defender, with 10 goals from 55 shots equalling 18.18%.
When compared to the Wycombe squad from last season, this percentage was beaten by only Fred Onyedinma (21.43%), even being ahead of star striker Richard Kone, who scored 18 goals from 100 shots.
For defensive stats, Allen’s performances would have put him in the Chairboys’ top five for interceptions, times possession was won and clearances, and in the top 10 for blocks and percentage of ground and aerial duels won.
More impressively, he was more progressive with the ball than any Wycombe player, which could be a sign of how he may improve their play style and show his importance to their build-up play.
How strong are Wycombe’s promotion chances?
After last season’s play-off semi-final defeat, Dodds will be aiming to go a step further and his side should challenge for the top six again at a minimum.
However, their promotion hopes will be threatened by the strength of Cardiff City, Luton and Plymouth Argyle, who were all relegated from the Championship last season, as well as fellow sides Stockport County, Bolton Wanderers and Huddersfield Town, who achieved top-half finishes last season and will fancy their chances in 2025/26.
Another potential problem for Dodds could be the departure of striker Kone, who is attracting plenty of interest from second-tier sides following his breakout season, in which he won the division’s Player and Young Player of the Season awards.
However, if the Ivorian remains at Adams Park and the former Sunderland manager makes a few more additions, then Wycombe will certainly be worthy play-off challengers and could surprise some of the favourites in the promotion race.
