Tom Taiwo Taken In By Cumbrians

Tom Taiwo

In a surprise transfer this afternoon Carlisle have signed the 19-year old for a temporary spell from the Stamford Bridge club, Taiwo making the long trek north from London until the 31st of December. Tom was coached by Blues boss Greg Abbott when Abbott was the youth team coach at Leeds, Taiwo eventually moving on, along with Martin Woods as a 16-year old, in a controversial move to Chelsea in the summer of 2006.

Leeds chairman Ken Bates accusing Chelsea of tapping up the pair of players, the allegation eventually seeing the London Blues forced to pay the Whites £5 million in compensation for the England Under-16 duo after the Yorkshire club had threatened to take them to the High Court.

Tom's start at Chelsea was spoilt by a broken leg that pre-season of 2006 though and his career at Stamford Bridge has been restricted to youth and reserve team games before he went on loan to Port Vale in August 2008, Taiwo making three starts and two substitute appearances for the struggling side before the Valiants decided not to extend his loan spell.

The 19-year old has also spent a spell in the United States as he played on trial for the Seattle Sounders in March of this year, Taiwo perhaps looking for more of a permanent move with his contract at Chelsea running out in the summer of 2010. Carlisle boss Greg Abbott presumably wanting to take a look at his former charge with the view to any permanent move at a late date, Abbott commenting to BBC Radio Cumbria on Taiwo :


" I have known Tom (Taiwo) since he was 15 to be honest, he came up through the Leeds United ranks and he got into England's under-16s and then England's under-18s. Chelsea signed him with Michael Woods for £1 million in compensation, which is a hell of a figure for 16-year olds. So I knew all about Tom, what he has done is that he has got himself into Chelsea's reserves and he has found his way into the first team blocked by the unbelievable talent that they have at that club.

" We needed a young player, we needed one that is relatively clear of injury, he is a fit young boy, he plays in the type of mould of a Paul Thirlwell. We needed a bit of depth of strength in the midfield area, if anything happens to our senior players, and we did have injury problems in that area last year with Thir (Thirlwell), with Lummy (Chris Lumsdon), with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson.

" They were all injured at one time and it left us a little bit thin on the ground. Tom gives us strength of depth of cover and he starts behind the three experienced players, but we are hoping that he can come in and prove that he is a player that is worthy of his place in his own right. "


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