Port Vale Football Club are delighted to announce the signing of Jake Taylor on a permanent deal from Nottingham Forest.
The 22-year-old midfielder has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal which will keep him contracted to Port Vale until June 2024.
The midfielder spent last season on loan at Vale and made a big impression on fans and fellow players alike.
After starting his youth career at the world-renowned Manchester United academy, Taylor moved to the Nottingham Forest academy in July 2015, on a two-year apprenticeship.
The youngster impressed enough in the youth ranks at Forest for Vale to take a chance on the then 20-year-old midfielder in August 2019, when he was signed on a short-term loan until January 2020.
Taylor’s loan spell at Vale was an exceptional success, and he scored his first goal in senior football against Macclesfield Town in a 3-2 victory in the EFL Trophy in September 2019.
That was shortly followed by his first senior league goal in football, in the next game in a 3-3 draw at Leyton Orient.
One of Taylor’s most memorable moments at Vale came when he scored the only goal in a 1-0 win at local rivals Crewe Alexandra in November 2019, sparking wild scenes in the away end as the Valiants took home the local bragging rights.
Taylor impressed enough in his short loan spell with Vale to earn himself a loan spell at the club until the end of the season, however the spell lasted only for a short time, due to football’s suspension in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In total he made 25 appearances in his time at Vale, scoring 7 goals in that period.
In October he joined Scunthorpe United on a season-long loan, making 14 appearances for the Iron before being recalled to Forest in January, ahead of his permanent move to Vale.
Welcome home, Jake!