Luton CEO admits Terriers' offer for wantaway Hatters striker was too good to refuse

Luton chief executive Gary Sweet conceded that the deal offered by League One promotion chasers Huddersfield Town for striker Joe Taylor was ultimately one that was too good for the club to turn down.

The 22-year-old completed his protracted move to the John Smith’s Stadium last week after a deal to join the Terriers broke down in the summer due to the Hatters not being able to sign a replacement of their own ahead of the summer transfer window deadline passing.

Staying at Kenilworth Road, Taylor could never elevate himself to being a first choice under previous manager Rob Edwards, despite both his, and supporters, desire for more game time, having witnessed him reached double figures for both Colchester United and Lincoln City when on loan last season, also netting for Town from the spot in the Championship play-off final penalty shoot-out win over Coventry City.

Instead, he was used 13 times off the bench, usually in the latter stages of a lost cause, amounting to just 145 minutes of first team football. With Huddersfield’s interest to bring the striker in resurfacing when the January transfer window opened, then a deal was finally agreed between the two clubs last week, allowing Taylor to get the move he had long desired.

Discussing the move for the striker, Sweet said: “We were going to let Joe go out in the summer, but unfortunately for him we didn’t quite land the deal on the last couple of days that meant we had to really keep him in the building which was a pity for Joe at the time.

"He made his opinions known that he wanted to join Huddersfield and that offer was probably too good for us to refuse for Joe at that moment. I think his time here was a little bit limited, not necessarily because he wasn't preferred, but generally because we had probably better players ahead of him at the time for our team. We wish him all the best, he’s a good lad and hopefully he does well.”

With Taylor penning a long-term deal at the Yorkshire club until 2029, he could well find himself coming up against the Hatters next term, if Huddersfield who are fourth in the table can secure promotion back to the second tier this term, and Luton retain their Championship status under new manager Matt Bloomfield. Discussing the move with his new side’s official website, the forward, who had joined Town from Peterborough United in January 2023, added: “I’m delighted to finally get this one over the line.

“It’s been in the pipeline for a long time now and I’m just thankful that this time we’ve managed to sign on the dotted line. I owe a lot of this move to Mark Cartwright (sporting director) – he’s been the one that’s been in regular contact with my team. He has been the one that’s been persistent in this, ensuring it does get over the line and I’m just very grateful that it has.

“The direction in which the football club is going, gunning for promotion and hopefully we do that automatically and if not we'll hopefully go through the pay-offs. Social media has been a bit crazy with this whole move, but the fans have been only supportive. I’m just here to try and score as many goals as possible and work as hard as I can to get this club back where it belongs in the Championship.”