Lyle Taylor insists he won’t be fazed by Sunderland’s boo boys in Charlton’s League One opener next month.
The striker rejected a more lucrative offer from Sunderland to become the Addicks’ first summer signing. He was a free agent after leaving AFC Wimbledon.
The 28-year-old met Black Cats boss Jack Ross to discuss a move up north before opting to join Lee Bowyer’s Charlton.
Greenwich-born Taylor, who is likely to start against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on August 4, told News Shopper: “I’m not focusing on the reception, I’m focusing on scoring goals.
“If they boo me, they boo me. At the end of the day, I’m not playing against 40,000 fans, I’m playing against a couple of centre-halves and a goalie.
“They can do what they want. I’m still going to run around like a blue arsed fly trying to put the ball in the back of the net. That’s my job.
“It’s one of those things, it’s not like I’ve been at the club and left on bad terms, it’s just a case of it wasn’t right.
“I met the manager, I went up and saw the club, the club is amazing, the facilities are amazing, the manager is brilliant. It wasn’t the right time for me, it’s that simple.
“Certain things happened. I’m not at liberty to go into the finer details, but certain things were done and said and at the end of the day, that told me enough.
“Other things were done at Charlton and other things were said and that told me enough about the club and the manager. That’s that. I’m here now.”
Taylor and experienced midfielder Darren Pratley have been Charlton’s only summer signings so far.
More signings are needed, though, for the Addicks to push for League One promotion.
Recruiting players has not been easy with Australian businessman Andrew Muir’s takeover rumbling on.
While there remains uncertainty over the club’s ownership, Taylor hopes Bowyer’s caretaker role is made permanent one day.
Taylor’s goals and performances could play a significant role in Bowyer’s future - he scored 18 times for AFC Wimbledon last season.
The former Millwall trainee said: “To be quite honest with you, the takeover is what it is, I don’t know when it’ll be done or if it’ll ever be done. I’m not up on my politics.
“I’m not really interested in that because the takeover, the person who owns this club, isn’t going to make any difference to me running out on that field.
“I hope the manager is the manager come the start and end of the season and I hope at the end of the season we’re all celebrating a successful season.
“If the manager hasn’t got the job permanently right now, I hope he gets the job permanently. As a team, the only way we can affect that is by putting in performances and getting results for the manager.
“That’s the only thing we can do. It’s already started by getting fit and I hope he’s in the job for a long time to come.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here