Jack Taylor has emerged as a key defensive target. His performances this season earning him a reputation as one of the most composed young centre‑halves at his level.
So much so, Swansea City and Barnsley have shown interest in the defender. But it is Stevenage to beat both sides to the player.
The club have moved quickly to secure the deal. They’ve seeing off strong competition for a defender whose composure, aerial strength and consistency have made him one of the standout young options at his level.
His arrival represents a significant boost to The Stag’s back line. As they continue to build for the second half of the season.
Jack Taylor’s rise has been steady and well‑earned, shaped by a series of loans that accelerated his development and turned him into one of the more promising young centre‑halves in the lower leagues. After first breaking into the Sutton United setup in 2023, he found senior minutes hard to come by. Taylor made just two appearances in his debut season.
That led to a short spell with Hornchurch in early 2024. Here he gained valuable exposure to men’s football and showed the physical edge needed at senior level.
Furthermore, the real breakthrough came the following season. Taylor joined Hampton & Richmond on loan in July 2024 and immediately became a mainstay, making 26 appearances and scoring once. His performances there had been composed on the ball, aggressive in duels, and increasingly confident in his positioning. Furthermore, this convinced Sutton to bring him back in January 2025 and give him a bigger role.
Since returning, Taylor has become a fixture in Sutton’s defence, racking up 46 appearances and adding two goals, establishing himself as a dependable, ever‑present centre‑half. His blend of size, calmness and steady improvement has now put him firmly on the radar of clubs higher up the pyramid.
Jack Taylor will offer Stevenage a defender whose game is built on repeatable, high‑volume defensive actions rather than flashes of form.
His numbers across the past 18 months show a centre‑half who consistently engages in 8–10 defensive duels per 90 with a success rate hovering around 65–70%. Putting Taylor in the bracket of young defenders who step in early, win their battles and keep attacks from developing.
That proactive style fits perfectly with Stevenage’s preference for front‑foot defending.
On the ball, he keeps things tidy with high pass accuracy and low turnover rates, offering the kind of clean, low‑risk distribution that stabilises a defence. Add in his growing penalty‑area presence and reliability across a heavy run of games, and Taylor profiles as a defender who fits Stevenage’s system almost perfectly.
