What is Lyle Taylor’s Millwall FC connection after he makes public Premier League claim? | OneFootball

The current Colchester striker has expressed his desire to see the Lions in the top-flight

Millwall haven't been in the top flight of English football since 1990, with the club bouncing between the second and third tiers for the last 35 years.

However, the Lions became the only side to beat Leeds United, Burnley and Sheffield United this season following a victory over the latter, and dreams of making the Championship play-offs for the first time since the 2001/02 season could become a reality come May.

Plenty of neutral fans would love to see a Premier League with Millwall in it. The hostile environment of the Den would be alien to many established top-flight sides, and the prospect of welcoming a new team to the division would be embraced by many.

However, someone you wouldn't have expected to support the late-season surge of Alex Neil's side is current Colchester United forward Lyle Taylor, who spent a combined five seasons playing for Millwall's south-London rivals, Charlton Athletic and AFC Wimbledon.

Speaking on the Football Daily Podcast, the 35-year-old said: "I'd love to see Millwall in the Premier League, just to see how somebody different can upset how things are done at the top table.

"Millwall would go up there and say 'you're going to get beat up, you come to the Den and you're having it' and I think it would be brilliant."

Taylor likened a potential Millwall success to that of Luton Town in 2022/23, saying that if the Lions were to achieve Premier League status it would be "so refreshing to see something different."

Of anyone, you'd expect someone who has those ties to be wishing anything but success for Millwall, but it turns out that Lyle Taylor may hold a closer connection to the Lions than many think.

Lyle Taylor's roots lie at the Den

Lyle Taylor's career actually began in Millwall's youth system, after the Lions brought him in whilst he was playing for Staines Town.

The Montserrat international never played a senior game for the club though, and was released at the end of his contract in 2009. He would go on to play for then-Isthmian League Division One North side, Concord Rangers, where he would help his side to promotion before rejoining the professional game at Bournemouth.

Therefore, whilst it may have come as a surprise to some when Lyle Taylor spoke of his desire to see Millwall grace the Premier League on the Football Daily Podcast, the 35-year-old's connection to the Lions likely excuses it.

Lyle Taylor's excitement over Millwall is purely fan-based

However, when looking at what Taylor said regarding his reasoning behind wanting Millwall in the Premier League, it is clear that his eagerness to see it isn't anything to do with his prior ties to any club.

On the podcast, Taylor commented on how Millwall's inclusion in a Premier League season would "upset the status quo," as "no one from outside southeast London wants to see Millwall in the Premier League."

England's top flight often comes under fire for hosting dull, monotonous games, and in the past couple of seasons, between sides who are familiar with each other and how they play.

The growing depth in quality between the Premier League and the Championship now means that we're slowly slipping into the same 23–25 teams playing each other every other season in the top flight as newly promoted teams go straight back down and then find themselves back in the Premier League either next season or the season after that.

Having a team like Millwall break the mould and achieve promotion wouldn't just provide a hostile "blood, guts and thunder" atmosphere, it would help freshen up a league which is becoming increasingly stale in many eyes.