Kenneth Taylor’s season at Lazio has moved from uncertainty to responsibility. The midfielder who once appeared ready to follow others out of the club is now central to Gennaro Gattuso’s plans, with his renewed form bringing him back into the Netherlands squad.
The decision
Gattuso’s public intervention on 30 July was an early turning point. During a televised Lazio session, the coach sent Taylor off the pitch, unhappy with what he felt was a lack of intensity. The Dutchman had seemed short of the aggression and commitment Gattuso expected.
The matter was settled quickly. Gattuso later said that, after half an hour, the incident was behind them and that the group needed to raise its standards. For Taylor, however, the episode came during a difficult summer. He had watched Lazio’s squad change around him, while the prospect of an increasingly empty Olimpico added to the sense of instability.
In June, Taylor had acknowledged his ambition to go further than Lazio. The statement strengthened the impression that he wanted a move, but no departure followed. Claudio Lotito placed a €40 million valuation on the player. Juventus considered him among several attacking-midfield options, while interest from England did not develop into a deal.
Rather than leaving, Taylor has gradually found his place again. Davide Frattesi’s arrival has helped create a midfield partnership that has become important to Gattuso: Taylor operating deeper, Frattesi pushing further forward. Lazio’s play has increasingly been built around their different movements.
Taylor’s current league figures reflect that revival. He leads the side for completed passes in the final third with 68, while his six chances created from open play match Mattia Zaccagni’s total. Against Venezia, he registered three attempts, two of them from inside the area, as well as four touches in the opposition box, seven duels and three tackles. It was Taylor’s run into the penalty area that won the spot-kick converted by Zaccagni.
Sunday’s picture
The Venezia performance offered the clearest recent image of the player Lazio now have: involved in the defensive work, capable of carrying play forward and arriving in dangerous positions. It is a contrast with the Taylor who appeared disconnected at the start of the summer.
His club form has also reopened an international door. Taylor had not featured for the Netherlands since coming on against Spain on 23 March 2025, and had waited since that month for another call-up. Xavi has now selected him in a 26-man squad for the Nations League meeting with Germany, which will mark the new coach’s first match in charge.
Taylor said he had not yet held an individual conversation with Xavi, although the squad had already discussed the coach’s demands and worked on his preferred approach. “I cannot say exactly what it involves; people will discover it,” he said.
He accepted that his previous absence had been Ronald Koeman’s decision, adding that players must prove themselves at club level. His immediate aim is to learn during the international break, show what he can do and earn as many minutes as possible, whether from the start or from the bench.
“Every player wants to play,” Taylor said. He has also reunited with Sunderland forward Brian Brobbey, a close friend with whom he speaks daily about far more than football.
Asked about the midfielders associated with Xavi’s great Barcelona side, Taylor refused comparisons with Sergio Busquets, Xavi or Andrés Iniesta, though he said he particularly enjoyed watching Busquets. Then came a lighter answer when asked which player he resembles: “Messi.”
