Portsmouth ace Joe Morrell has said he opted to move to Fratton Park instead of Ipswich Town as he felt it was the “best move” for him.
Over the summer window, Morrell was heavily linked with a move away from Luton Town.
The 24-year-old was out of favour at Kenilworth Road and, after some impressive displays for Wales in the European Championships, was wanted elsewhere. Portsmouth and Ipswich Town were heavily linked, but it was Pompey who ended up securing a deal.
Now, ahead of the two sides’ meeting on Tuesday night, Morrell has discussed his decision to move to Fratton Park instead of Portman Road.
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As quoted by The News, Morrell has insisted his decision to turn down Ipswich Town was not because of his desire to play regular football.
The former Bristol City youngster said he felt was the “best move” for him professionally, adding that he hasn’t looked back on his decision once. Here’s what he had to say on the matter:
“I have seen people say that I didn’t go to Ipswich because I wanted to play regularly, but that wasn’t the case.
“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.”
Tuesday’s clash
It will be interesting to see how the tie between Portsmouth and Ipswich Town pans out, with both sides holding ambitions above their current league position.
After a poor run of form, Pompey looked to have turned a corner with their 4-0 thrashing of Sunderland. However, after the weekend’s 4-1 loss to Rotherham United, they are in need of a win once again.
As for Ipswich, they have turned a corner in recent weeks after an abysmal run to start the campaign. They have lost just once in the last six games and most recently drew against Cambridge United.
