Luton Town linked with a move for defender after St Mirren exit

Luton Town have been linked with a move for former St Mirren defender Richard Taylor according to Scottish paper the Daily Record.

The 24-year-old, who was born in Hackney, spent his youth career with Burnley, going on loan to non-league side Colne, before leaving Turf Moor in 2019. He then headed to Southend United, making his senior debut in the Football League Trophy in November 2019, as he also featured twice in League One during that season.

The following campaign he played 16 times for the Shrimpers in League Two, also having a loan spell at Barnet where he featured four times in the National League. After being released from Roots Hall, he played for well known YouTube side Sunday League side SE Dons, then having stints at Dulwich Hamlet and Dagenham & Redbridge, eventually going to League of Ireland First Division side Waterford on a free transfer in January 2022.

Taylor, who can operate at centre half and left back, caught the eye during a successful spell with the Blues, in which he played 33 times and scored one goal, signing a short term deal at St Mirren in January 2023, quickly extending that for a further two years a few months later. During the 2023-24 campaign, he featured 30 times while at the SMiSA Stadium, as last season he went on to make 41 appearances, including four UEFA Conference League qualifiers.

In total, the defender appeared 83 times for the Buddies, scoring twice, before leaving in the summer after they finished sixth in the table with a statement on the St Mirren official website saying: “We say goodbye to Dennis Adeniran, Caolan Boyd-Munce, Elvis Bwomono, Owen Foster, Gallagher Lennon and Richard Taylor who will all move on following the expiry of their contracts. We thank all departing players for their respective contributions and wish them all the best of luck in whatever comes next”

With the Hatters’ looking to bolster their squad for the League One season that kicks off in August, there is speculation that Taylor is a player they are looking at, as a report in the Daily Record said: “Luton Town are interested in freed St Mirren defender Richard Taylor. The newly-relegated English One League side are keen on the defender. Taylor impressed with the Buddies and has moved on after rejecting a new deal. The 24-year-old has interest from Belgium and was expected to go there. Luton, however, could yet convince him to return south of the border.”