Jake Taylor

Jake Jon Taylor (born 8 September 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League Two side Port Vale, on loan from EFL Championship club Nottingham Forest.

Taylor was a pupil at Moorside High School in Swinton, Greater Manchester and was associated with Manchester United as a schoolboy until he was not offered a scholarship at Old Trafford at the age of 16. In July 2015 he began a two-year apprenticeship at Nottingham Forest's youth-team. On 30 August 2019, he joined EFL League Two side Port Vale on loan after impressing manager John Askey in training games during a trial spell. Taylor said that "Port Vale have strong links with Forest, as you have seen with Adam Crookes and also Toby Edser came in. Phil Sproson is good friends with the academy manager Gary Brazil so the link is there. They have shown an interest and I have jumped at it." He made his debut the following day, coming on as a 67th-minute substitute for Cristian Montaño in a 1–0 win over Cambridge United at Vale Park. He later said that "I knew it would be physical but I think I have dealt with that quite well. Probably the speed of the game has surprised me." On 24 September, he scored his first goal in senior football in a 3–2 victory at Macclesfield Town in the EFL Trophy. He scored his first league goal four days later, bending the ball into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area in a 3–3 draw at Leyton Orient. On 2 November, he scored the only goal of the game at local rivals Crewe Alexandra. He picked up an injury early in January, but nevertheless had his loan spell extended until the end of the 2019–20 season. The loan deal was extended after Forest rebuffed two transfer bids from the Vale.

Taylor describes himself as a "ball-playing midfielder", though can also play at left-back.

As of match played 4 January 2020