If Mick Harford spots a striking talent you can bet the Luton recruitment team will listen and that’s what helped convince Town to sign Joe Taylor from Peterborough, according to Paul Trollope.
The 20-year-old was a surprise transfer deadline day addition after Harry Cornick was sold to Bristol City, despite only a handful of appearances under his belt for the Posh.
But when Town announced the signing it came with a glowing recommendation from striking legend and chief recruitment officer, Harford, as well as a comparison to former Hatter Craig Mackhail-Smith from Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAthony.
But while Taylor won’t be a direct replacement for Cornick or Cameron Jerome who left for Bolton earlier in the window, Trollope believes Harford is a man who can spot a future star.
“There’s no one better to suggest a striker,” said the assistant manager, adding of the new recruit: “He’s made a really good impression in his first training session this morning. He does bring different attributes. He’s quick and he runs in behind. He’s got a nice manner about him as well, so we’re excited about working with him.
“He’s highly-rated and Mick has been very vocal in that opinion. We trust Mick and he’s fantastic to have around us on a daily basis and we’re really looking forward to working with Joe and seeing him make a good impression with the squad.
“As a management team, we do pride ourselves on developing players and developing what we have in the building. Hopefully some of that is evident already, we’re pleased with the progress of certain players who are working very hard as a team and individually.
“The new signings will come into that, we will be working hard to develop the younger players and we’re very much looking forward to working with Joe. He’s got a lot of good attributes, complimentary attributes to the other strikers we have at the club so it’s exciting for us to have him and hopefully he can make good progress within the first-team unit.”
Talking of his involvement in the recruitment team, Trollope said: “Since I’ve been here I found the club very inclusive of myself and Richie (Kyle, assistant manager), we are included in recruitment meetings and asked for an opinions, which is great, because I think both of us bring a wee bit of experience.
“So, it’s very much a collective, but also, we know that there’s a short term, a medium term view of all the transfer strategy, so I think we’re respectful of that. We want to win in the short term that’s our main aim and has to be the main aim of any management team and we’re certainly keen to do that and continue to do that.
“But you also have to look medium and long term at the financial future, the squad’s future, making progress as a squad as well.”
