AFC Wimbledon cannot afford Lyle Taylor, Charlton Athletic own goal with current ace | OneFootball

AFC Wimbledon must not let current star Josh Neufville leave in the same fashion that Lyle Taylor did in 2018

Back in 2018, Lyle Taylor left AFC Wimbledon at the expiry of his contract, with the view of many being that the player simply opted to run down his deal due to dallying from the club themselves.

And while it may never be known exactly why the star player of yesteryear chose to leave the club that showed him so much love, his move to Charlton Athletic indicates that a move up the ladder was a big factor.

So, with a current star, in the form of Josh Neufville, currently having a deal that expires in the summer, the Dons may not want to repeat their costly mistakes from eight years ago.

AFC Wimbledon, Lyle Taylor 2018 contract situation

There cannot be too much blame leveraged at Lyle Taylor for wanting to move up the ladder when it was looking as though his Wimbledon deal would be expiring in the summer of 2018.

He had interest from Sunderland, who looked like a serious option for the Montserrat international until being rebuffed, but it was Charlton Athletic who won out in the end following a sustained period of interest.

However, things could have been so different if the Dons had approached the renewal talks in much better ways.

As was the done thing at the time, players were rarely brought to the club as stars. Instead, a lot of players were picked up as 'almost rejects' and were then given a good home in South West London where they could develop and flourish into stars, which was the case with Taylor.

But when it came to the renewal stage in 2018, the club almost stood off, accepted their smaller status in the game and just let Taylor walk away to their East London neighbours.

Albeit, money and other smaller factors also came into play when it came to decisions from both the player's side of things, and the club's, but the situation certainly did not look too great from the outside looking in when a star player, and at the time, leading goalscorer for the club in the EFL, left for absolutely nothing.

An earlier sale could have netted the club plenty of money to reinvest and fill the hole that was being left, or contract talks much earlier than they appear to have happened may have led to more years of service from the striker, but as is always said, hindsight is a powerful tool.

How AFC Wimbledon can avoid current day repeat with Josh Neufville

Josh Neufville has been brilliant all throughout his second season with the Dons, with a move to right wing-back proving to be the difference maker in his short, but now highly successful time with the club so far.

But how exactly can Wimbledon keep hold of a player who is on his way to becoming a shoo-in for Player of the Year, like Taylor was, with his deal set to expire and promotion far from being secured?

Well, before anything else is discussed, it has to be said the Dons are perhaps the best when it comes to dealing with stars that have grown with the side leaving at the end of their deals for nothing.

Joe Pigott is the most high-profile case, along with others, and despite his departure causing a slight downturn in fortune for a few years, things have since recovered to where Wimbledon sit today in League Two, as one of the divisions better sides with good, profitable turnover of players.

However, bringing the focus back to Neufville, the first thing the Dons must do is treat the player with the love and passion that he shows on the pitch.

More and more these days, players are just seen as pins in the puzzle of football business, and so there has to come a time when the business-mindset is forgotten about before a player, such as the 24-year-old, Luton-born winger, who is well-loved by all at the club and loves being at the club, decides that his interests are better served elsewhere.

The second thing that the club can do is finally fork out some decent amounts to cover current player wages, instead of saving and scrimping pennies together to go searching on the market again.

Financially, the club is at a crossroads, but instead of taking the gamble of trying to find a similar player in the vast transfer market, why not just swallow the cost a little bit longer and see where an ever-developing player could take the side, along with his established teammates.

The final say will not just be the club's, but also the manager's, but as has already been said, Neufville has been performing brilliantly, and is Jackson's most used outfield player this season, so it can be highly doubted that he is not a wanted player in SW19.

Time will tell whether the dallying from the club has, once again, like it did all the way back in 2018 with Taylor, caused a player of Neufville's stature to begin to look elsewhere and follow up on any interest, perhaps from higher levels, to move on to upon contract expiry with the Dons.