Neil Taylor
Taylor playing for Wales in 2016
Personal information
Full name Neil John Taylor[1]
Date of birth (1989-02-07) 7 February 1989[2]
Place of birth St Asaph, Wales
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.76 m)[3]
Position(s) Left-back[4]
Youth career
1998–2005 Manchester City
2005–2007 Wrexham
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2010 Wrexham 75 (3)
2010–2017 Swansea City 160 (0)
2017–2021 Aston Villa 89 (0)
2021–2022 Middlesbrough 14 (0)
Total 338 (3)
International career‡
2005–2006 Wales U17 10 (0)
2006–2007 Wales U19 5 (0)
2007–2010 Wales U21 13 (0)
2009 Wales Semi-Pro 1 (0)
2010–2019 Wales 43 (1)
2012 Great Britain Olympic 5 (0)
Managerial career
2023– Wales U21 (coach)
2023– Gulf United
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:47, 9 May 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:24, 26 March 2023 (UTC)

Neil John Taylor (born 7 February 1989) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a left-back, currently manager of Gulf United.

A former Manchester City trainee, he began his career with Wrexham in 2007 and moved to Swansea City for an initial £150,000 in 2010, going on to make 179 appearances for the Swans. He joined Aston Villa in January 2017 as part of a swap for Jordan Ayew, and made 103 total appearances. After being released, he signed for Middlesbrough in November 2021, where he played for the final season of his career.

Taylor made his full international debut for Wales in 2010, and earned 43 caps up to 2019. He was part of their squad which reached the semi-finals at UEFA Euro 2016, and also represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics on home soil. Born to a Bengali mother from Kolkata, he was one of a relatively small number of British Asians in professional football.[5]

Club career

Wrexham

Taylor began his career at Manchester City, but left the club at the age of 15.[6] He instead moved to Wrexham at the age of 16, progressing through the youth system at the club,[7] signing a professional contract in July 2007.[8] He made his professional debut on 28 August 2007 in the second round of the League Cup, as a 79th-minute substitute for Eifion Williams in a 0–5 home loss to Aston Villa at the Racecourse Ground.[9] On 22 September, he made his league debut, starting in a 2–1 League Two loss at Stockport County, crossing for the opening goal by Marc Williams.[10] He finished the 2007–08 season when he made 27 league and cup appearances.[11] He signed an extension to his contract on 13 March 2008, keeping him at Wrexham until 2010.[12] Wrexham finished the season with relegation out of The Football League.

On 7 October 2008, Taylor scored his first career goal in a 3–1 home win over York City in the Conference Premier, a match in which he was captain,[13] and followed it up with another in a 5–0 rout of Eastbourne Borough on 20 December.[14] His only other Wrexham goal came in his last appearance on 10 April 2010, volleying to conclude a 2–0 win at relegated Grays Athletic.[15]

Swansea City

Taylor playing for Swansea City in 2011

At the end of the 2009–10 season, Taylor joined Football League Championship side Swansea City on a free transfer.[6] A fee of £150,000 plus 10% of any future profit was agreed between the two clubs just before entering a professional footballers compensation committee tribunal on 30 September 2010.[16][17] He made his Swans debut on 21 August, as a half-time substitute for Albert Serrán in a 2–0 defeat at Norwich City. He had played 15 league matches, due to injuries and suspensions, before spraining his ankle against Reading on 1 January 2011. He made his return on 19 February against Doncaster Rovers, the same week where both he and captain Garry Monk became fathers. On 12 May, in the Championship play-off semi-final first leg against Nottingham Forest, Taylor was sent off after 53 seconds for a high challenge on Lewis McGugan, with the match ending in a goalless draw.[18]

His impressive form then sparked a £1 million plus bid from Newcastle United that summer, but he committed himself to the Swans instead with a contract extension.[19] That paid off for both player and club as Taylor again enjoyed a successful season in helping the Swans to 11th spot in their first Premier League campaign.

Taylor suffered a broken ankle in the match against Sunderland on 1 September 2012 after falling awkwardly during a challenge on Craig Gardner in the early stages of the match and was ruled out until the end of the season.[20] On 14 December 2012, Taylor signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with Swansea, lasting until 2016.[21]

In late February, Taylor returned to full training after six months out with injury.[22] Shortly before his return, Swansea City won the League Cup Final following a 5–0 win over League Two side Bradford City.[23] In late April, he played 80 minutes for Swansea City U21s as part of his rehabilitation.[24] Taylor made his first senior appearance since his injury as a substitute for Ben Davies in a 2–0 loss against Chelsea on 28 April 2013.[25] After the match, he expressed relief at his return to the first team.[26]

After Taylor's return, Swansea manager Michael Laudrup described the battle for the left-back slot between Taylor and Davies as "a beautiful problem for a manager to have".[27] Following the transfer of Davies to Tottenham Hotspur in 2014, Taylor reestablished himself as first-choice left back for Swansea. Taylor signed a new four-year contract in June 2015, tying him to the club until 2019.[28]

Aston Villa

After his position as Swansea's left back was challenged by Stephen Kingsley and Martin Olsson, on 31 January 2017 Taylor joined Championship side Aston Villa along with an estimated £5 million in exchange for Jordan Ayew.[29] He made his debut eleven days later in a 1–0 home loss to Ipswich Town, starting and playing 77 minutes while wearing a protective mask over his fractured cheekbone. Manager Steve Bruce said he did well given his injury and lack of match practice.[30]

On 30 September 2017, Taylor was sent off at the end of a 1–0 home win over Bolton Wanderers for a foul on Adam Le Fondre.[31] He was not included in the Villa team that lost the 2018 EFL Championship play-off final,[32] but played as they won against Derby County in the next year's edition.[33]

Injury limited Taylor to 14 Premier League games in 2019–20, as Villa avoided the drop on the final day.[34] The following season, he made just one 15-minute league appearance as a substitute for the injured Matt Targett in a 2–0 loss at Manchester City, and was released at the end of his contract.[35][36]

Middlesbrough

On 18 November 2021, Taylor joined Championship side Middlesbrough on a short-term contract until the middle of January.[37] He made his debut a month later, with Chris Wilder picking him instead of Marc Bola for a 1–0 home win over AFC Bournemouth, after which the manager praised him.[38][39] On 14 January, having made one more appearance and with Bola suffering a knee injury, Taylor's deal was extended for the rest of the season.[40] Taylor was released by the club at the end of the season.[41]

On 7 November 2022, Taylor announced his retirement as a player at the age of 33, through a statement on Twitter.[42]

International career

Wales

Taylor with Wales in 2011

Taylor was also eligible for India through his mother.[5] He made his debut for Wales on 23 May 2010 in a friendly against Croatia at the Stadion Gradski vrt, replacing Andy Dorman for the final 23 minutes of the 2–0 loss; he and Mark Bradley had been promoted from the under-21 team in an emergency.[43] In May 2011, he played two matches at the Nations Cup in Dublin.[44]

On 9 September 2014, in Wales' first match of UEFA Euro 2016 qualification, he gave away a penalty to Andorra in the fifth minute, converted by Ildefons Lima, but the Welsh fought back for a 2–1 victory.[45] At the final tournament in France, he played every minute as Wales reached a tournament semi-final for the first time. He scored his first international goal in a 3–0 group win over Russia; it was his first senior goal since one for Wrexham at Grays Athletic in April 2010.[46]

Taylor was sent off on 24 March 2017 for breaking Seamus Coleman’s leg in two places with a reckless tackle. Coleman was out injured for a year. The game was a goalless World Cup qualifier away to the Republic of Ireland.[47] Coleman needed surgery on a broken tibia and fibula after being injured in the match and Taylor was given a two-match international ban by FIFA.[48]

He withdrew from the Welsh squad in November 2019 due to personal reasons.[49]

Great Britain

Stuart Pearce named Taylor in his 18-man squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London as one of three Swansea City players.[50] He played his first match for Great Britain in a friendly against Brazil at the Riverside Stadium on 20 July.[51] He then went on to appear in all of the team's group stage fixtures, helping to secure progression into the knockout stages.

Coaching

In March 2023 Taylor was appointed assistant to Wales under-21 manager Matt Jones.[52]

On 1 September 2023, Taylor was appointed First Team Manager of UAE First Division side Gulf United FC. The team is a private club who achieved back-to-back promotions form the UAE Second Division and UAE Third Division across the past two seasons. The club confirmed that Neil "will remain in his role as assistannt coach with the Wales U21's National Team on international breaks throughout the season".[53]

Personal life

Taylor was born in St Asaph, Denbighshire, and brought up in nearby Ruthin,[54] where he attended Ysgol Brynhyfryd.[55] He is of mixed Welsh-Bengali descent; his mother, Shibani Chakraborty, is a Bengali from Kolkata,[56][57] while his father, John Taylor, is Welsh. While playing for Swansea he lived with his wife Genna and their two children in Killay, Swansea. In a 2016 spring clean, they donated furniture worth thousands of pounds to be sold by the British Heart Foundation.[58] Taylor travels to India to promote football, and has said that due to his name, the population are surprised to learn of his ancestry.[5] Taylor became president of Ruthin Town F.C. in 2016.[34]

Career statistics

Club

As of end of 2021–22 season
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Wrexham 2007–08[59] League Two 2600010—00270
2008–09[60] Conference Premier 26220——6[lower-alpha 1]0342
2009–10[61] 23120——1[lower-alpha 2]0261
Wrexham Total 7534010—70873
Swansea City 2010–11[62] Championship 2900020—1[lower-alpha 3]0320
2011–12[63] Premier League 3601010——380
2012–13[64] 600000——60
2013–14[65] 10030106[lower-alpha 4]0—200
2014–15[66] 3400020——360
2015–16[67] 3400000——340
2016–17[68] 1100020——130
Swansea City Total 1600408060101790
Aston Villa 2016–17[68] Championship 140————140
2017–18[69] 2901000——300
2018–19[70] 31 0 1 0 2 0 — 3[lower-alpha 3] 0 37 0
2019–20[71] Premier League 14 0 1 0 3 0 — — 18 0
2020–21[72] 1 0 0 0 3 0 — — 4 0
Aston Villa Total 890308000301030
Middlesbrough 2021–22[73] Championship 1403000—00170
Total 3383140170601103863
  1. ↑ Two appearances in Conference League Cup, four in FA Trophy
  2. ↑ Appearance in FA Trophy
  3. 1 2 Appearance(s) in Championship play-offs
  4. ↑ Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 6 September 2019[74]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Wales 201010
201170
201220
201340
201460
201560
2016121
201730
201800
201920
Total431

International goals

As of match played 20 June 2016. Wales score listed first, score column indicates score after each Taylor goal.

International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 20 June 2016Stadium Municipal, Toulouse, France31 Russia2–03–0UEFA Euro 2016

Honours

Aston Villa

References

  1. ↑ "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2018: Aston Villa" (PDF). English Football League. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "Neil Taylor". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  3. ↑ "Neil Taylor: Overview". Premier League. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  4. ↑ Orme, Daniel (14 August 2018). "'Let's hope he can gain some confidence' The story of Neil Taylor's Aston Villa career so far". Birmingham Live. Reach. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 Din, Tusdiq (13 November 2015). "Why is Swansea's Neil Taylor the only British Asian in the Premier League?". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Swans agree terms with Neil Taylor". Swansea City A.F.C. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
  7. ↑ "Neil Taylor". Wrexham F.C. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  8. ↑ "Neil Taylor". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 6 January 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  9. ↑ "Wrexham 0–5 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. 28 August 2007. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  10. ↑ "Stockport 2–1 Wrexham". BBC Sport. 22 September 2007. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  11. ↑ "Games played by Neil Taylor in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  12. ↑ "Wrexham rookies sign new deals". BBC Sport. 13 March 2008. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  13. ↑ "Wrexham 3–1 York". 7 October 2008. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  14. ↑ "Wrexham 5–0 Eastbourne". BBC Sport. 20 December 2008. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  15. ↑ "Grays 0–2 Wrexham". BBC Sport. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  16. ↑ "Wrexham FC want compensation tribunal after Neil Taylor signs for Swansea City". Daily Post. 1 July 2010. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
  17. ↑ "Swansea agree Neil Taylor compensation". BBC Sport. 30 September 2010. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  18. ↑ Shuttleworth, Peter (12 May 2011). "Nott'm Forest 0–0 Swansea". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  19. ↑ "Swansea City turn down £1 million Newcastle bid for Neil Taylor – Football News – Football". WalesOnline. 27 June 2011. Archived from the original on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
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  25. ↑ "Chelsea 2–0 Swansea". BBC Sport. 28 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  26. ↑ "Swansea City star Neil Taylor relieved to finally end eight-month injury nightmare". Wales Online. 29 April 2013. Archived from the original on 19 May 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
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  28. ↑ "Neil Taylor signs new contract with Swansea City". BBC Sport. 1 June 2015. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
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  30. ↑ Kendrick, Mat (11 February 2017). "Aston Villa's Neil Taylor: Steve Bruce gives his verdict on the debutant". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  31. ↑ Maher, Matt (30 September 2017). "Aston Villa 1 Bolton 0". Express & Star. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  32. ↑ Wathan, Chris (26 May 2019). "Neil Taylor: Wales' Aston Villa defender's highs and lows". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  33. ↑ Edwards, Harry (27 May 2019). "Every player rated as El Ghazi helps Villa overcome Derby in Championship play-off final". Squawka. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  34. 1 2 Evans, Arron (27 July 2020). "Ruthin Town FC president Neil Taylor survived relegation from the Premier League with Aston Villa on Sunday". The Denbighshire Free Press. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  35. ↑ Murray, Scott (20 January 2021). "Man City 2–0 Aston Villa". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  36. ↑ Watson, Chris (28 May 2021). "Aston Villa man sends brilliant farewell message". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  37. ↑ "Middlesbrough sign defender Neil Taylor on a short-term contract". FourFourTwo. 18 November 2021. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  38. ↑ "Sporar spot-on for Middlesbrough as Bournemouth's poor run continues". The Guardian. 18 December 2021. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  39. ↑ Johns, Craig (18 December 2021). "Middlesbrough vs Bournemouth team news: Neil Taylor makes his Boro debut as only change for Wilder". Teesside Live. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  40. ↑ Jones, Matty (14 January 2022). "Neil Taylor has signed a new contract with Boro until the end of the season". The Northern Echo. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  41. ↑ "MFC Retained List: Summer 2022". www.mfc.co.uk. 9 May 2022. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  42. ↑ "Neil Taylor: Ex-Wales, Swansea, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough defender retires". BBC Sport. 7 November 2022. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  43. ↑ "Croatia 2–0 Wales". BBC Sport. 23 May 2010. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  44. ↑ "Wales 2–0 N Ireland". BBC Sport. 27 May 2011. Archived from the original on 25 May 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  45. ↑ "Gareth Bale double rescues feeble Wales from embarrassment in Andorra". The Guardian. Press Association. 9 September 2014. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  46. ↑ Lowe, Sid (22 June 2016). "Neil Taylor's goal completes journey from Portakabin to Paris". Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  47. ↑ "Republic of Ireland 0–0 Wales". 24 March 2017. Archived from the original on 24 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  48. ↑ "Wales' Neil Taylor gets two-game ban for tackle that broke Séamus Coleman's leg". The Guardian. Press Association. 26 April 2017. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  49. ↑ "Neil Taylor: Aston Villa defender withdraws from Wales squad". BBC Sport. 12 November 2019. Archived from the original on 13 November 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  50. ↑ "London 2012 Olympics: Stuart Pearce names Team GB football squad". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 November 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  51. ↑ Fletcher, Paul (20 July 2012). "Team GB suffer defeat by Brazil". BBC. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  52. ↑ "Taylor Wales under-21 coach". Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  53. ↑ Gulf United FC. "Gulf United FC Club Announcement - Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  54. ↑ Williams, Aled (9 June 2016). "Euro 2016: Wales players in the eyes of their families". BBC News (British Broadcasting Corporation). Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  55. ↑ "Euro 2016: Wales defender Neil Taylor's wife predicts winners with sticker book". BBC Sport. 20 May 2016. Archived from the original on 28 May 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  56. ↑ "Football in India is growing – Swansea City's Neil Taylor". Goal.com. 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 8 August 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  57. ↑ "Wales defender with Kolkata roots stamps his class on Euro". The Times of India. 22 June 2016. Archived from the original on 30 December 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  58. ↑ "Welsh football star Neil Taylor donates thousands of pounds worth of plush furniture to charity". Wales Online. 5 June 2016. Archived from the original on 10 July 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  59. ↑ "Games played by Neil Taylor in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  60. ↑ Williams, Tony; Wright, James, eds. (2009). Non-League Club Directory 2010. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 156–157. ISBN 978-1-869833-66-4.
  61. ↑ Williams, Tony; Wright, James, eds. (2010). Non-League Club Directory 2011. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 154–155. ISBN 978-1-869833-68-8.
  62. ↑ "Games played by Neil Taylor in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  63. ↑ "Games played by Neil Taylor in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  64. ↑ "Games played by Neil Taylor in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  65. ↑ "Games played by Neil Taylor in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  66. ↑ "Games played by Neil Taylor in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  67. ↑ "Games played by Neil Taylor in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  68. 1 2 "Games played by Neil Taylor in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  69. ↑ "Games played by Neil Taylor in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  70. ↑ "Games played by Neil Taylor in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  71. ↑ "Games played by Neil Taylor in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  72. ↑ "Games played by Neil Taylor in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  73. ↑ "Games played by Neil Taylor in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  74. ↑ "Taylor, Neil". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  75. ↑ Woodcock, Ian (27 May 2019). "Aston Villa 2–1 Derby County". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  76. ↑ McNulty, Phil (1 March 2020). "Aston Villa 1–2 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
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