West Brom agreement can help Matt Bloomfield overcome major Wycombe Wanderers shortcoming: View | OneFootball

Wycombe Wanderers signed former Cheltenham Town star Caleb Taylor from West Bromwich Albion on deadline day.

Matt Bloomfield pulled off a huge coup in the dying embers of the summer transfer window, securing West Bromwich Albion defender Caleb Taylor on a season-long loan deal. The 21-year-old has previously been on loan with Cheltenham Town and Bolton Wanderers, respectively, and has made a handful of appearances for the Baggies.

The towering centre-half caught the eye on his maiden loan spell with Cheltenham, as the Robins retained their League One status. Playing all-but one league match that season, Taylor was a key component that kept the Gloucestershire outfit in the third tier.

During his first loan, he caught the eye of clubs higher up with his excellent aerial ability and composure playing out from the back. Fitting the bill of the perfect modern defender, it's not a surprise the Baggies' player was on many shopping lists this summer. But it was Bloomfield who swooped in hours before the deadline to take the defender on loan.

Wycombe's defensive troubles so far this season

Benji Walker (@benjiwalkerphoto)

It's no secret that Wycombe Wanderers received a baptism of fire this season, with their opening four games against teams expected to be fighting at the sharp end of the table. After securing a solid four points from their opening four, the Wanderers welcomed a much-needed international break to regroup after fixtures had been coming thick and fast.

Whilst four points is an acceptable return from such a hard run of matches, the worrying signs have come from the Chairboys' defence. Bloomfield's men have conceded eight goals in their league games thus far, which is an average of two per game. Finding the net hasn't proven to be an issue either, as the Blues have managed to match the amount they've conceded with eight goals scored.

However, if last season's EFL Trophy runners-up want to start stringing together a good run of form, they will need to continue their excellent scoring whilst conceding less. On the positive side, the Wanderers have kept two clean sheets in their last three games in all competitions. However, they have found themselves reliant on the exceptional Franco Ravizzoli against Rotherham United and Blackpool.

Two goals conceded from headers against the Seasiders recently proved what Bloomfield's side was lacking defensively. They needed an aerial presence to better defend crosses into the box. Fortunately, the gaffer recognised this, swooping to bring the highly-rated Taylor to the club on deadline day.

Taylor will have a point to prove after frustrating Bolton loan

The Baggies hotshot arrives at Adams Park with an already solid CV full of League One experience. As previously mentioned, the 21-year-old first put his name on the map at Cheltenham two seasons ago. In his first loan away, the defender played all but one of Town's league matches that season, chipping in with a couple of goals thanks to his aerial prowess.

Wade Elliott certainly had big shoes to fill, following the departure of the beloved Michael Duff. Taylor played a crucial part in securing the Robins' League One status, as they finished an impressive 16th place. This saw the youngster catch the eye of many clubs higher up the League, including his parent club, West Brom.

After remaining with the Baggies for the first half of the 2023/24 season, Taylor only made three substitute appearances in the Championship, which wasn't anywhere near as many as he'd have liked. Albion boss Carlos Corberán ultimately decided to send his upcoming defender out on loan, which saw a whole host of clubs sniffing around the exciting prospect.

In the end, promotion-pushing Bolton fought off the competition to secure the former Cheltenham star on another season-long loan. Sadly, things didn't go to plan. In his fourth game for the Trotters, the winter signing was forced off with an ankle ligament tear. This would rule him out of action for almost the remainder of the season.

He made his full return to fitness over two months later, in a 2-0 victory over Port Vale. This proved to be the only 90 minutes the Albion loanee would play in league action that season. Whilst Bolton made the play-offs, Taylor wasn't involved in the squad for any of their three games, as they fell to defeat at Wembley.

All in all, it was a frustrating campaign for Taylor. After having an almost impeccable record for Cheltenham the season prior, he'd only managed a handful of senior matches this time around. With the less-than-ideal season hindering his development, the new Wycombe signing will be eager to put it behind him and kick on with the Chairboys.

Taylor could help address Wycombe's defensive difficulties

Being a centre-back has evolved in recent years, especially in the English lower leagues. With the more traditional no-nonsense defenders now finding themselves out of favour. Those who are comfortable on the ball and playing out from the back are desired

The decrease in route one football has meant many centre-backs who've been successful in recent years fit the possession-based style of play. Wycombe fans may recall Anthony Stewart, who was flawless in Gareth Ainsworth's long-ball style of play. However, moves to Aberdeen and MK Dons exposed the former Chairboys' struggles with the ball at his feet. This ultimately saw one of the best defenders in League One become an unwanted man.

Thankfully, Bloomfield's latest loanee has been part of Corberán's side for plenty of time and feels confident to fit the similar style the Chairboys employ. Some rash moments from the defence have cost Wycombe goals this season, and putting Taylor, who has plenty of experience in a system that Bloomfield wants to play, will help nullify these sloppy moments.

The Baggies' defender said that his new fans can expect him to be bringing "composure on the ball". There has been a lack of composure in the Blues' backline at some points during the season so far, so adding a composed, hungry centre-half into the mix will help Bloomfield iron out the mistakes that have cost his team unnecessary goals.

Of course, an important part of any defender is aerial ability, which Taylor has in abundance. Standing at 6'2", the Championship import will have a height advantage over most of his opponents. This is good news at both ends of the pitch, as the Chairboys were bullied in the air by Blackpool recently, conceding two goals from headers. Having their new defender next to 6'4" Joe Low can hopefully shut down the threat of headed goals from set-pieces, which proved costly during Wycombe's trip to the seaside.

Whilst adding height to the defence will no doubt help reduce the threat of crosses into the box, it will also benefit the Chairboys going forward. Of course, composure when building attacks from the back is essential, but Taylor has proven to be a bit of a fox in the box during his time with Cheltenham. The towering defender adds another target to the mix for the Blues when they have a set-piece, and with the set-piece ability of former teammate Aaron Morley, the Chairboys could be a real threat.

All being said, the West Brom youngster looks to be the missing piece to Bloomfield's 2024/25 jigsaw, based on the evidence shown so far.