Martin Taylor is the first squad man to leave Hillsborough on loan as part of Dave Jones’ much-publicised need to move players out before he can bring in new faces.
Club captain Taylor has joined division one Brentford on an initial one-month deal and, with fellow defender Anthony Gardner a long-term injury concern, it should also trigger a move in the market by Jones to bring in reinforcements at the back.
Taylor, who signed for us from Watford at the start of last season, has failed to establish himself at S6 after a shaky start to his Wednesday career. With Gardner expected to miss the majority of the season with a ruptured achilles tendon, it seemed likely that Taylor would be in contention for a starting place in the centre of the Owls defence, along with Miguel Llera and Kamil Zayatte … but the move to Griffin Park would appear to signal the beginning of the end of his stay at Hillsborough.
For Jones, it surely escalates his need to recruit another central defender – although West Ham loanee Jordan Spence could also play in this role if Lewis Buxton recovers from his hamstring injury to take up the right back berth.