Sunderland reportedly made a very attractive offer to sign AFC Wimbledon striker Lyle Taylor but he has now joined League One rivals Charlton Athletic.
It was bad enough that Sunderland have failed in their attempts to sign Lyle Taylor. But the fact that they missed out to their old Newcastle United nemesis Lee Bowyer just rubs salt into the wounds.
Taylor scored 14 goals in League One for AFC Wimbledon last season, 18 overall, and was available for free this summer with his contract coming to an end. And the Northern Echo reported that the Black Cats offered the 28-year-old a very attractive contract in order to lure him to the Stadium of Light.
Their hopes did not last long though.
Because League One promotion rivals Charlton Athletic have landed Taylor on a two-year deal. And Bowyer’s comments in the aftermath should make Sunderland fans even more frustrated.
“He’s my first signing as a manager and what a signing it is,” Bowyer, who was initially appointed as caretaker in April after the departure of Karl Robinson, said in quotes reported by the Chronicle.
“He’s a top striker in this division. He scores goals. He’s the all-around striker. He runs in behind, holds the ball up, wins his headers. He’s got everything.
“There was a big club in our division that made him a much better offer and I think it just shows the lad’s attitude to come to us.”
It does not take a genius to work out that Bowyer is probably referring to Sunderland when discussing the club who had made Taylor a very tempting offer. Experienced and proven at League One level, the former Dons star certainly ticked a lot of boxes.
If Taylor ends up being as influential as Bowyer is predicting, Sunderland might have missed out on a real coup.
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