Wellington Phoenix will welcome back former captain Steven Taylor, with the veteran English defender to re-join the club for the remainder of the A-League season.
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The 35-year-old, who made 268 appearances for English Premier League club Newcastle earlier in his career, left the Phoenix after two seasons with the New Zealand-based club to join Indian Super League team Odisha FC.
With the ISL campaign finished, the Phoenix have negotiated an early release for Taylor from the Indian club to enable him to rejoin Ufuk Talay's team.
Taylor was a popular figure during his previous stint with the Phoenix, captaining the club in 2019-20 and being a part of reaching finals in the past two seasons.
"Stevie is a class act and he'll bring that leadership that we need in the backline, especially with Luke (DeVere) out with injury," Phoenix coach Talay said.
"As a player he brings a defensive presence and as a person he brings leadership and character to the team - he was very influential in the changing room for us last season and that's what we want him to bring to the squad, in addition to his play on the field."
Taylor is currently undertaking a mandatory two-week quarantine following his arrival in Australia and will join up with his teammates in their Wollongong base once he is released.
Australian Associated Press
