Bristol Rovers is delighted to announce the signing of defender Taylor Moore, subject to FA and EFL ratification.
Moore arrives at The Memorial Stadium after a season playing in Ligue 2 with French side Valenciennes, and has put pen-to-paper on a three-year deal with an option for a further year.
A physical centre-back with vast experience across the EFL, Moore is also a previous England youth international, captaining the England U19s and winning the UEFA European U17s Championship with the national side in 2017.
The 27-year-old will now continue his career back in the South West with the Pirates as the Club’s latest addition to the squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
“It feels good to be here,” Moore said: “It was a big decision and the biggest emotion I’m feeling right now is pure excitement. I’m really, really happy to be here and continue my journey in football.
”With where the Club is at now and where it’s trying to get to, there is a lot of ambition to push up the table in EFL League One as much as possible and eventually become a Championship team. That ambition is here, it’s been stated by the manager and, as a player, you want to go somewhere with that project and ambition.
“This is a big stage for me personally in my career. I want to be somewhere I feel settled and really part of the project. The ambition is to build and push on at Bristol Rovers and it really does make this move feel like the right fit.”
Manager Matt Taylor welcomed Moore to Rovers and is looking forward to working with the defender.
Taylor said: “I am delighted to welcome Taylor to Bristol Rovers. He is a proven defender at this level, he's at a good age and I believe he will add strength, depth and competition to our squad.
“I am excited to welcome Taylor to the group and I’m looking forward to working with him in the coming season.”
Born in Walthamstow in East London in May 1997, Taylor spent a year in the West Ham United Academy of Football before he and his family relocated to France. After playing for amateur side Etaples for four seasons, Taylor joined RC Lens' Academy at 12 years old.
Signing as a professional with Lens at 17, Taylor would make his senior debut just a week before his 18th birthday, providing an assist against Lille.
The defender would go on to make ten first-team appearances in all competitions for RC Lens before completing a switch to Bristol City in 2016. Following five outings in the EFL Championship, Taylor joined then-League One side Bury on loan for the remainder of the campaign, before season-long loan stints with Cheltenham Town and Southend United, respectively.
Further loans with Blackpool and Shrewsbury Town in League One, sandwiching a spell at Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian, followed for the centre-back. His time with Bristol City came to an end in 2023, with 60 appearances and a goal to his name; netting in a 3-3 draw away to Preston North End in 2019.
Taylor joined French Ligue 2 team Valenciennes last summer. The centre-back made 21 appearances in all competitions in a difficult campaign for Les Athéniens, one that saw them relegated to the Championnat National; the third tier of French football.
At international level, Moore has represented England U17s and U18s while previously captaining England U19s. The centre-back was part of the U17s squad that claimed the UEFA European Championships in 2014, netting from the penalty spot in the crucial penalty shoot-out win against Netherlands in the final , and he also has six caps for England U20s.
Everyone at Bristol Rovers would like to welcome Taylor to the Club and wish him every success for his career in the blue-and-white quarters.
