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1718 burnley charlie taylor 01 1000x500A year ago tomorrow, I wrote an article headlined Taylor made for a move to Burnley in connection with the Clarets being linked with Leeds United left back Charlie Taylor. Some 364 days later I can write Charlie is Taylor made for Burnley with the news today that he’s become our first summer 2017 signing having joined the Clarets on a four year deal with the player out of contract at Elland Road.

In the 2015/16 season, Taylor, now aged 23, who had previously enjoyed loans with Bradford City, York, Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Fleetwood, became an established first team player at Leeds and made 39 league appearances for them in the Championship.

He was as keen to move on as the two newly promoted Premier League clubs Burnley and Middlesbrough were to sign him but the then owner of Leeds, Massimo Cellino, had other ideas. “We are not going to let him go now. Trust me,” the Italian said while adding that he would rather lose him on a free transfer a year later, not aware that they would be entitled to compensation.

“Experience tells you a realistic offer of money will probably talk louder,” said Phil Hay, who covers the club for the Yorkshire Evening Post. He likened it to the situation with Sam Byram who won his move to West Ham.

Taylor did, though, remain at Leeds and continued as first choice until an injury sustained in the last game of 2016 ruled him out after 52 consecutive starts. Once fit, he struggled to regain his place because of the form of Gaetano Berardi.

Things came to a head on the last day of the season. With Leeds now out of the running for a play-off place it was reported that he refused to play in that final game. Then manager Garry Monk said: “I’m hugely disappointed with Charlie. I think he’s been terribly advised all season.”

By then our attention seemed to have turned to Andrew Robertson with a reported move for him in January believed to have collapsed on the last day of the window. But we’ve got our man now in Taylor with the players having returned for pre-season training and he becomes the first player to make the move from Elland Road to Turf Moor since Robbie Blake’s second coming ten years ago.

Leeds offered him a new two year deal, without which they would not be entitled to any compensation fee. Burnley are believed to want to agree a fee with Leeds but if that doesn’t prove possible a tribunal will sit to determine how much we must pay.

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