Winger Corey Blackett-Taylor has joined Derby County from fellow Sky Bet League One side Charlton Athletic.
The 26-year-old has linked up with the Rams on an initial loan deal for the remainder of the 2023/24 campaign ahead of signing on a permanent basis in the summer.
Blackett-Taylor, who can play on either wing, has recorded an impressive nine goals and seven assists for the Addicks from 28 appearances in all competitions this term.
The wideman is Derby’s first addition in the January Transfer Window and follows the positive news of striker Tyreece John-Jules’ loan from Arsenal being extended until the end of the campaign and the recent new contracts for defender Ryan Nyambe and winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.
Corey Blackett-Taylor In Profile
Birmingham-born Blackett-Taylor came through the youth ranks at Aston Villa and, after penning professional terms and impressing at Under-21 level, he made his senior debut off the bench in a 1-0 Championship defeat at Huddersfield Town in March 2017.
The former England Under-19 international made one more appearance for Villa, again off the bench, in the 2017/18 Carabao Cup in a 2-0 reverse against Middlesbrough at Villa Park and remained a regular member of their Under-21 squad in Premier League 2.
Blackett-Taylor enjoyed his first sustained run of first-team football in a loan spell at Walsall in League One in the second half of the 2018/19 campaign. He made ten appearances for the Saddlers before leaving Villa at the end of his contract that summer.
The winger sealed a permanent move to Tranmere Rovers, then in League One, and he made 34 appearances and scored five goals, as well as chipping in with six assists, in 2019/20 before COVID-19 ended the campaign early and saw them relegated on a points-per-game basis.
He remained with Rovers in League Two for 2020/21 and from 28 appearances he scored three times and notched three assists in a campaign which saw Rovers miss out on promotion via the play-offs in a semi-final reverse against Morecambe, as well as losing 1-0 to Sunderland in the EFL Trophy Final.
Blackett-Taylor returned to League One with Charlton as a free agent early in the 2021/22 season and he appeared 34 times throughout that campaign, scoring on three occasions and registering four assists.
He added eight goals and three assists to that tally in 2022/23, making 35 appearances as he further established himself as a key player in the Addicks’ side.
His form in the current campaign has been particularly impressive, with nine goals and seven assists from his 28 appearances.
