By David Williams
Swansea City transfer target Lyle Taylor will refuse to play for Charlton when the Championship season resumes on June 20.
The Swans, Cardiff City, Charlton and remainder of the 24 second tier clubs are all stepping up their training in readiness for the season resuming in less than three weeks’ time.
But Charlton manager Lee Bowyer has revealed that some of his players who are out of contract at the end of June – including Taylor – have said they will not be taking the field for fear of injury.
The Swans were one of a number of Championship clubs who were keen to sign 30-year-old striker Taylor during the most recent January transfer window.
Charlton boss Bowyer, whose side are two points adrift of safety in the Championship, confirmed that they will also be without long-serving defender Chris Solly when the league resumes.
Talking to Talksport, Bowyer said: “We have nine players whose contracts finish at the end of June and, unfortunately for us, three of them have said that they’re not going to play.
“Lyle’s one of them and that’s tough for us and for me as a manager. Lyle has said that he’s not going to play because of risk of injury.
“Chris Solly has said the same. David Davis, who’s at Birmingham, says he doesn’t want to come back and play games.”
Taylor, Charlton’s top scorer this season with 11 goals, is out of contract this month and Bowyer has confirmed that his fear that an injury will prevent him from securing a move in the summer is the reason he has ruled himself unavailable for selection.
He attracted interest from Swansea, West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield Wednesday and Rangers in January, and it is likely that will continue this summer.
Bowyer said he was disappointed that Taylor won’t feature in the club’s last nine games and believes he should help them across the line.
“I don’t think I’m asking too much. He’s a Charlton player, he’s done great for us for two years. In my eyes, you finish what you’ve started. Everyone has their own decision to make.
“What disappoints me the most, and he’s in a difficult position, is that he wants to play but he’s so worried about being injured that he’s saying he wouldn’t be the same player for me. He’s going to get a life-changing move.”
Clubs will return to full contact training later this week and the EFL has now been given the green light to return on Saturday, June 20.
The EFL is then planning to complete the season with the play-off final on or around July 30, due to the importance of finishing in a similar timeline to that of the Premier League to avoid any potential issues with promoted and relegated clubs.
lt has also been agreed to consider changing the regulations to allow teams to use five substitutes in the remaining fixtures and field matchday squads of 20 players rather than 18.
In a statement on Sunday night, the EFL said: “Following Saturday’s announcement by the government to allow elite sporting events to return behind closed doors, the EFL has this weekend agreed to a provisional restart date of the weekend of 20 June 2020 for matches in the Sky Bet Championship.
“The date is subject to the strict proviso that all safety requirements and government guidance is met, and that clubs receive clearance from their local authorities in order to stage matches at their home grounds.”
Leeds United and West Brom currently sit in the Championship’s automatic promotion places, while Charlton, Luton and Barnsley are in the relegation places with nine matches apiece remaining.
Cardiff are in ninth, but only two points off the play-off places, with the Swans a further point adrift in 11th spot.