Caleb Taylor believes he has a “massive opportunity” to break into Albion’s senior side and says he’s never been as prepared to do so.
The academy graduate earned rave reviews while on loan at Sky Bet League One title-chasers Wycombe Wanderers in the first half of the 2024/25 campaign, featuring 20 times for the Chairboys in league and cup.
Taylor returned to the Baggies earlier this month and was an unused substitute in the 1-1 Sky Bet Championship draw at Swansea City last weekend.
The 21-year-old, who celebrates his 22nd birthday three days after Albion’s Emirates FA Cup third-round tie at AFC Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon, says the stint at Wycombe provided “minutes, consistency and enjoyment”.
Caleb acknowledges the opportunity he has in front of him and insists he’ll be giving his all to feature as much as possible in the Albion XI.
The defender said: “I really enjoyed my loan at Wycombe Wanderers. I learnt so much there.
“At the start of the season when I got told about going on loan, this was probably the perfect scenario in terms of playing loads of minutes, winning games and enjoying it.
“Other loans were good for different reasons. This one was really enjoyable. I loved going in every day and playing in all of the games.
“It’s been frustrating and difficult going out on loan because my main goal is to play here and make it here, however it was definitely something I needed to do and going on loan has certainly helped me a lot.
“There are so many games to deal with in senior football so I’ve improved physically. I’ve played a lot of minutes and I’m happy with how I got through the games.
“Getting regular minutes has helped with consistency. It has meant I can perform as well as possible all of the time.
“I’m happy to be back here because my main goal is to play here, as I’ve mentioned before. Hopefully I can play some minutes and be involved. I’m back home and close to my family, so I’m happy.
“I feel like I’m ready to play here. I’ve gained a lot of experience and it feels like the most ready I’ve been to be a part of the team here. It’s a massive opportunity for me and I’m going to do my best to take it.
“There’s a lot of hard work to be done to get to where I want to be, but I’m working every day to get there.
“I’ve had some really good ties in the Emirates FA Cup. It’s a great competition and I’ve come up against Premier League teams before in it such as Brighton and Hove Albion and Wolves.
“I’m really looking forward to coming up against another Premier League team in AFC Bournemouth on Saturday. The FA Cup is such a big tournament and I’d love us to go far.
“It would be amazing to be involved and play on Saturday and get through to the next round.”
