Hatters striker leaves Kenilworth Road to sign for Huddersfield Town

Striker Joe Taylor finally completed his much anticipated move from Luton Town to League One promotion-chasers Huddersfield Town for an undisclosed fee this afternoon.

The 23-year-old almost saw a transfer to the Terriers happen in the summer, only for it to fall through at the last moment, but having struggled for game time with the Hatters since, with 13 appearances off the bench, has agreed to head to the John Smith’s Stadium, penning a long-term contract until 2009. Taylor, who signed for Town in January 2023 from Peterborough United, netted for Luton in their Championship play-off final penalty shoot-out victory over Coventry, going on to play 19 times in total, also enjoying prolific loan spells at Colchester United and Lincoln City last term.

With Huddersfield finally getting their long-term transfer target, head coach Michael Duff said: “Knowing how hard the club have worked on this deal for some time, I’m delighted to see Joe finally unveiled as a Huddersfield Town player and I’m excited to get working with him. The way he completed last season on loan with Lincoln City at this level right at the top of the league speaks to his character and will to succeed, and those are values we want to see in our players - you can never have too many winners in your group.

“We have wanted to add to our forward line since the summer, but only with the right profile and standard of player, and we believe Joe is just that. With a lot of important football left to play, we look forward to Joe contributing between now and the end of the season.”

Meanwhile, Terriers’ sporting director Mark Cartwright added: “We’ve had to remain extremely patient to get this deal complete, and we’re really pleased that the hard work done alongside Luton Town has allowed Joe to join us. With a lot of interest in him across both Sky Bet League One and the Championship, it’s an exciting addition to make, especially after coming so close to acquiring his services in the summer. His goalscoring record at this level speaks for itself, but his overall game is something we find attractive, as he adds something completely different to our forward options.

"We made no secret of our desire to address the top end of the pitch and Joe has always been a key target for us, with chairman Kevin Nagle providing his full backing in order to make this deal possible. A hungry player who wants to play and score as much as possible, our desire to bring him to the club was completely matched by his enthusiasm to be part of what we’re trying to build, which is what we’ve wanted to see from everyone we’ve brought through the door.”