Joe Morrell makes admission following Portsmouth and Ipswich summer transfer tussle | OneFootball

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Football League World

·18 October 2021

Joe Morrell makes admission following Portsmouth and Ipswich summer transfer tussle

Article image:Joe Morrell makes admission following Portsmouth and Ipswich summer transfer tussle

Ipswich Town made a mammoth 19 new additions to their senior squad over the course of the summer in Paul Cook’s big rebuild – but it could have easily been 20.

The Tractor Boys had already done a lot of their business at the beginning of August when they decided to make a play for another midfielder in Wales international Joe Morrell.


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The Luton Town man, who was actually born in the Suffolk city, was also wanted by Ipswich’s divisional rivals Portsmouth, and it got to the point where Danny Cowley had conceded defeat in his pursuit of the 24-year-old.

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It had happened with defender George Edmundson who was wanted by Pompey, only to head to Ipswich and their new-found riches, and Cowley expected the same to happen again.

Morrell though surprised some by opting for Fratton Park instead, where he’s gone on to play nine times so far this season in the league so far.

Speaking about the transfer battle for his signature in the summer for the first time, Morrell insists he has no regrets over his decision despite both teams showing inconsistent form so far.

“I have seen people say that I didn’t go to Ipswich because I wanted to play regularly, but that wasn’t the case,” Morrell told the Portsmouth News.

“I just felt Pompey was the best move for me professionally as a footballer, coming to a manager I am comfortable with, a manager who clearly had a massive desire to bring me here, and that meant a lot to me over the summer.

“I felt it was the right decision for me and haven’t looked back since to be honest.

“Not once have I come to Pompey and thought it was the wrong decision.

“I believed it was the best thing for me professionally, regardless of other factors. And I don’t regret it one bit.”

The Verdict

Ipswich had already signed two top central midfielders in Rekeem Harper and Lee Evans before pursuing Morrell, so there’s a chance that he would have spent some time on the sidelines if he went to Portman Road.

He’s clearly a focal point of Cowley’s plans though at Portsmouth and in that sense he does seem to have made the right move for his future.

Despite playing in League One, Morrell continues to be a fixture for the Wales national team and playing week in, week out for Portsmouth won’t do him any harm at all.

We will see where both clubs finish up at the end of the season but right now it doesn’t appear that Morrell has made the wrong choice of destination.

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