Tranmere full-back Andy Taylor set to move to Championship side Sheffield United

Jul 15 2009 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Daily Post

Tranmere full-back Andy Taylor set to move to Championship side Sheffield United

FULL-BACK Andy Taylor is expected to complete a move from Tranmere to Championship club Sheffield United today.

Rovers are prepared to part company with the 23-year-old to ease financial pressure at Prenton Park as manager John Barnes attempts to build a squad for the forthcoming League One campaign on a tight budget.

Taylor, with another year of his contract at Tranmere to run, is expected to command a six-figure fee. He underwent a medical with the Blades yesterday and the formalities should be completed today.

Taylor made 81 senior appearances for Rovers after signing from home-town club Blackburn 18 months ago.

He has proved himself a consistent performer at League One level but teenager Aaron Cresswell may well provide Barnes with a ready-made replacement. Home-grown product Cresswell made a dozen senior appearances in Ronnie Moore’s team last season.

Barnes said last night: “We are hoping that a fee for Taylor will help us with the budget because we are working with much less than last season.

“Maybe we can bring in more players. We certainly can’t afford to bring in someone who is going to cost more than Andy Taylor but we will try to bring in one or two more players.”

Taylor will be following Antony Kay, Ben Chorley, Danny Coyne and Steve Jennings out of the exit door since the end of last season.

Barnes said: “As much as Andy Taylor was an important player for us, and we’ve been losing important players, you have accept that in football players come and go and we have to try and see if we can improve without them.

“I have great faith in Aaron Cresswell for the left-back position.

“He’s a young player with a good left foot and we’ll be working with him.”

Meanwhile Barnes said he was pleased by aspects of Tranmere’s performance as they opened the pre-season programme with a 3-2 defeat to local part-timers Cammell Laird last night.

Barnes said: “It was a disappointing result but I was encouraged by the performance, particularly in the way we passed and moved the ball.

“The first goal went through the centre-backs when it should have been cleared and the next two were thrown in by the goalkeeper but that can happen.

“I try to take the goals out when I look at performance.

“In terms of our approach play we moved the ball well in midfield and to the front men.

“We had a number of opportunities around the box.”