Taylor Harwood-Bellis is expected to join Stoke City on loan from Manchester City
It is a good start for any prospective Stoke City player when they can point to a reference from Pep Guardiola.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis can do that as he is expected to arrive at Clayton Wood on loan from Manchester City – cutting short a stay at Anderlecht.
The 19-year-old centre-back has long been highly rated as he has broken through the ranks – scoring his first senior goal against Port Vale in the FA Cup back in early 2020.
He has already made eight appearances for Man City, all in the cups, as well as 19 on loan at Blackburn in the second half of last season and 16 this term in Belgium.
Guardiola called the young defender and Eric Garcia “exceptional human beings with a good mentality” when starred in a 3-0 win over Preston
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And he was sure that a spell in the Championship would be good for his development.
“He’ll play in a good competition at a good historical team, he’ll play real opponents,” he said this time last year.
“The academy is good for a short time but he needs to grow as a player and he doesn’t have many minutes here in the first team.
“He has had two seasons training with us, there are other young lads training in their first season. This is the best way to see him, in a good competition.”
Rovers wanted him back for another season as he did well, particularly in partnership with experienced campaigner Darragh Lenihan.
Tony Mowbray said: “Taylor has a defensive instinct, a warrior attitude and he’s someone who wants to win headers and tackles.
“He wants to engage, he’s composed on the ball and has a lot of really good attributes.”
Vincent Kompany, his manager at Anderlecht, was the perfect role model – although game time has been hard to find over the last couple of months.
Harwood-Bellis said in the autumn: “Being a legend at Manchester City, and one of my idols growing up, I knew this was a massive opportunity. So far it is making me a much better player and hopefully that carries on.
“I had trained a few times with him [Kompany] at City, but I’d not got to know him on a personal level and then he left [at the end of the 2018/19 season].
“He doesn’t dwell on the stuff he has done [in his career]. He is constantly on about the next game and watching clips. He is obsessed with football. He just wants to win every game at Anderlecht.
“There is no looking back with him. He just wants to do well with the team in the future.”
