Taylor: Charles James (Charlie)
2011-2017
(Leeds Player Details)
(Player Details)
Left Back
Born: York: 18-09-1993
Debut: Bradford City (h) (Substitute) (League Cup): 09-08-2011
5’11” 12st 6lb (2006)
Educated at Tadcaster Grammar School, Taylor joined the Leeds United Academy
and was accepted into the scholarship scheme at the beginning of the 2010-11 season
and had impressed enough to be offered a professional contract at the beginning of
2011-12 season. He soon established himself as a regular with the Leeds Under-Eighteen
team and a member of the Leeds Reserves team, becoming a regular towards the end of
that season. He won the Academy and Youth Alliance Goal of the Season for his goal from
thirty-five yards against Newcastle United's Academy in April 2011 to win the inaugral award.
He signed a three year contract on 1st June 2011. Although a left-back he can also play on
the left wing. He was given his debut, when he came on as a substitute for Ross
McCormack, in the League Cup match with Bradford City at Elland Road on 9th August
2011 and was given about three minutes of stoppage time to impress. He did, however,
get a little bit more time in his second appearance, when Simon Grayson sent him on, after
an hour to replace Aidan White at left-back in a further League Cup game, on 23rd August
2011 at Doncaster Rovers. His big chance came on 10th September 2011, when he was
included at left-back in the starting line-up at home to Crystal Palace for the suspended
Aidan White. It took him only eight minutes to make his mark, when from his pinpoint cross
Ross McCormack was left with the simple task of heading past the Palace keeper. He
quickly reproduced a similar cross, but this time the keeper was alert to it. He was included
in the substitutes for the match with Manchester United in the League Cup on 20th
September 2011, but he remained unused. Aidan White, Danny Pugh and later Paul
Robinson were all given preference over the youngster at left back. He played his first
game for England Under-Nineteen in the Limoges Tournament coming on as an half-time
replacement for Jack Robinson against Portugal in a 1-0 win on 7th October 2011. He
had been an unused substitute against the hosts France in a 2-2 draw two days previously,
and two days after he played the full game against Ukraine, when England won 3-1 to take
the trophy as the only unbeaten team in the four nation tournament. On 1st January 2012
he was loaned to Bradford City for a month. During his time at Valley Parade he started
one and came on twice as a substitute in League games and also started one F.A. Cup
game. He made his debut in a 0-3 loss to Rotherham United at Millmoor on 2nd January
2012, when he was replaced by Mark Stewart after seventy-eight minutes. Five days later
he played a full game in the 2-4 defeat at Watford in the F.A. Cup. He was on the bench
for the 2-2 draw with Morecambe at Valley Parade on 14th January 2012 when he came
on as a substitute for Luke Oliver after fifty-eight minutes. His final game for the Bantams
was as an eighty-seventh minute substitute for Lee Bullock in a 1-2 defeat at Bristol
Rovers on 28th January 2012. Late in the season he was recalled to the Leeds side
against Peterborough United at Elland Road on 14th April 2012 when he was given a
chance instead of Paul Robinson. In slippery conditions the youngster made a couple of
mistakes and Neil Warnock replaced him with Paul Robinson at half-time. At the end of
the season Neil Warnock said it was his intention to loan him out in the 2012-13 season
to get more first-team experience. On 30th August 2012 he was loaned to York City
where he made his debut on 1st September 2012 in a 3-1 home win over Oxford United
and started three League games and came off the bench for another and also started
one game in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, before returning to Elland Road after his loan
had been extended to 26th October 2012. On 25th January 2013 he was loaned to
Scottish Premier team Inverness Caledonian Thistle for the rest of the season. He
started four and came off the bench three times in Scottish League games and made
one appearance in the Scottish Cup, when he made his debut as a thirty-first minute
substitute in a 0-2 defeat on 2nd February 2013. On 15th October 2013 he went on
what started as a one month loan to League Two side Fleetwood. However, after
making his debut in a 0-2 defeat at Southend United three days later, he had made
four League starts when his loan was extended until January on 6th November 2013.
He was earning plenty of praise for his performances and manager Graham Alexander
was pleased when he was able to have the loan further extended to the end of the
season on 17th December 2013. Taylor went on to make thirty-one starts in the League
as well as one more from the bench, while he made three starts in the F.A. Cup and four
starts in Football League Trophy and three in League Two play-offs. He helped
Fleetwood to a fourth place finish and his final game for them came in Wembley Play-off
Final on 26th May 2014 in which they won promotion with a 1-0 win over Burton Albion.
Six days prior to that he had signed a new three year contract with Leeds which kept
him at the club until 2017. He made his first start back at the club in a League Cup win
over Accrington Stanley on 12th August 2014 and then, on 30th August he came off the
bench against Bolton Wanderers, ten minutes after half-time after an injury to Stephen
Warnock. He then had to be patient as Warnock was consistently United's best
defender, but, after impressing at Sunderland in the FA Cup, he cemented himself in the
side and his form was such the club's regular left-back, Stephen Warnock was sold to
Derby County. Neil Redfearn experimented with his team formation and Taylor found
himself in a more forward role, as Gaetano Berardi merited the left back position. He
scored his first Leeds goal when he opened the scoring in the eleventh minute as
Leeds went down 3-4 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on 6th April 2015. While
he maintained his number Twenty-One jersey, he was always first choice for the first
team in the 2015-16 season and apart from missing seven consecutive League in the
October/November period through glandular fever which kept him out of action for six
weeks. He proved himself to be one of the outstanding left backs in the Championship
and he was rewarded with the Club's Player Of The Year for the 2015-16 season and
also the Yorkshire Evening Post's Player Of The Year Award. He missed just the seven
League games and was the club's third highest in player appearances with thirty-nine
in the League, three in the F.A. Cup and one in the League Cup and added one more
to his goal tally when he scored the second goal two minutes before half time in the
2-1 win at Milton Keynes Dons on 19th September 2015 to take his total to three. As
the full-back's contract with Leeds was due to cease at the end of the 2016-17 season,
there was constant rumours of several clubs looking to pick him up at a bargain price.
West Bromwich Albion were constantly linked throughout the season, together with
Liverpool and Stoke City. Massimo Cellino had revealed, on 15th June 2016, that he
had already approached Taylor's agent to discuss an extension, but his call was not
returned. On 2nd August 2016, after renewed speculation of interest by further Premier
League clubs, the club announced that they had rejected a transfer request by the
player and Massimo Cellino had said that the full-back would not be sold. Taylor
accepted the situation and said he would honour his contract. Taylor had cemented his
first team spot but was always assured that Gaetano Beradi was always hungry for
either of the full-back spots after the arrival of Luke Ayling from Bristol City soon after
the start of the 2016-17 season. However, he maintained his ever-present tag in the
left back spot until he injured his achilles in the 1-0 home win over Brentford on 17th
December 2016. This saw him sidelined for over two months. He regained his left
back position when Gaetano Beradi was switched to right back, in the 1-1 away draw
with Fulham on 7th March 2017, when Luke Ayling was not available as his wife was
giving birth. With the return of Ayling he had to be content with a place on the bench for
the next game at home to Queens Park Rangers. Surprisingly, he was restored to the
left back position with Beradi at right back to compensate for Ayling's suspension and
Jonsson's omisssion for the 2-0 home win over table-topping Brighton and Hove Albion
on 18th March 2017. The same defence remained intact for the 0-1 away defeat by
Reading two weeks later. It was to be his penultimate start in United colours, as he sat
unused at Brentford three days later as United went down 0-2 despite having their first
choice defence. He had a token two minutes of normal time in place of Pablo
Hernandez in a 3-0 home win over Preston North End four days later, he then replaced
Gaetano Beradi twelve minutes from time on Good Friday in the 1-1 draw at Newcastle
United, then in the sixty-third minute of a 0-1 home defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers
on Easter Monday. His final Leeds game was a full game, in a 1-2 away defeat by Burton
Albion on 22nd April 2017, but he sat unused on the bench as United drew 3-3 in their
final home game of the season with Norwich City, a week later. He was selected for the
final game at Wigan Athletic on 7th May 2017, but Manager Garry Monk told the public
that Taylor had refused to play. This ensured an acrimonious exit from Elland Road at the
completion of his contract. The club fined him two weeks wages for the refusal at which
time Garry Monk said "I'm hugely disappointed with Charlie. I think he's been terribly
advised all season." On 17th May 2017, it was announced that Taylor had been offered a
Two-Year Contract with the club in line with EFL regulations. Once more this triggered
speculation with West Bromwich Albion now being pushed by Burnley to the point where,
on 6th July 2017, Taylor signed a four-year contract with Premier League club, Burnley. As
Taylor was under twenty-four, Burnley had to pay Leeds compensation. Rather than involve
a tribunal, on 25 July 2017, the two clubs agreed the compensation would be a fee above
£6 million but less than £7 million. Taylor and Chris Wood who had also joined Burnley
from Leeds, both made their Burnley second appearances, both having played in the
previous Round in a 2-0 away win over Blackburn Rovers on 23rd August 2017, in the
League Cup Third Round clash between the two clubs on 20th September 2017, in which
Leeds progressed on penalties after the Turf Moor game had been locked at 2-2 after
extra-time.