Ipswich Town pulled a blinder with Middlesbrough transfer in 2021: View | OneFootball

Eyebrows were raised when Ipswich signed Sam Morsy, and his achievements since ensure confusion on Teesside remains over why a deal was sanctioned.

Ipswich Town signed central midfielder Sam Morsy from Middlesbrough in August 2021, and it would prove to be a masterstroke by the Tractor Boys.

The Egyptian international made the move to Portman Road in the final hours of transfer deadline day in the summer of 2021, in what was seen as somewhat of a shock deal by both sets of supporters.

Morsy had been a regular in Middlesbrough's starting lineup during his debut season on Teesside the season prior, and had started three of Boro's opening five Championship fixtures of the 2021/22 campaign.

With the Tractor Boys entering their third season back in League One, dropping down a level as a 29-year-old, in the peak of his career, was one the Middlesbrough fans struggled to get their heads around. Whilst Town supporters were pleasantly surprised to see the arrival of a quality midfield option.

Using the benefit of hindsight, what Morsy would go on to achieve as an Ipswich player in the years that followed, will have done little to make Middlesbrough's decision to sell him any less confusing as it was at the time.

Morsy instantly becomes an integral part of Ipswich's side

If Morsy would've had things his own way that summer, he wouldn't have been wearing the blue and white shirt, as he revealed in an interview with the Hartlepool Mail at the time.

Morsy said: "I had no intention of leaving Middlesbrough. Even when I was told they were signing a midfielder I was happy to fight for my place but I think it was made clear from upstairs that they wanted to sell me.

"Initially I said that’s fine if the club wants to sell me but I said I’m staying put. I’d settled in the area, enjoyed my team-mates, enjoyed the coaching staff, it was a great atmosphere and I wanted to stay.

"I think when it became apparent I wouldn’t have a fair shot, that’s when I had to look elsewhere. It was late on the last day and I knew the manager at Ipswich and had told him earlier in the window there was no interest in leaving the club."

Luckily for Ipswich, that decision was taken out of his hands, as Middlesbrough's chiefs put his personal wishes aside and decided to cash in on the midfielder anyway.

A three-year-contract was signed, and the experienced Egyptian packed his bags and headed for East Anglia, with the aim of becoming a key player for an Ipswich side which began the season with Paul Cook at the helm.

By December, Cook was gone, to be replaced by Kieran McKenna. A mid-table finish was secured in 2021/22, with Morsy making 34 league appearances, scoring three times and notching a further five assists.

Over the next two seasons, Morsy only continued to grow in McKenna's side, and was instrumental to the club's promotion to the Championship in 2022/23.

Sharing the centre of midfield with another former Middlesbrough outcast, Massimo Luongo, the pair formed a dynamic duo that would be the beating heart of Ipswich's remarkable 2023/24 side that secured automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Morsy will be hoping to captain Ipswich to Premier League safety

Having captained the side from League One all the way up to the Premier League, it's probably fair to say that Morsy has proven those Middlesbrough decision makers to have been wrong to go against his wishes.

Boro can argue the presence of Jonny Howson, Marcus Tavernier, Matt Crooks and Riley McGree in 2021/22, before the emergence of Hayden Hackney the following season, would mean that there is little regret over their decision to sell.

However, Morsy has proven himself to be a top class operator at Championship level, with his 80 tackles won and 316 recoveries more than any other second tier player in his position last season - per FotMob.

Whilst his 2,349 successful passes, 3,289 touches and 219 duels won placing him in the top 97, 96.2 and 95.5% in those respective categories among Championship defensive midfielders last term - per FotMob.

Now aged 33, Morsy is still as important to Ipswich's midfield as he's ever been, as he begins to form what could be an excellent midfield partnership with Manchester City loanee and England international, Kalvin Phillips.

Morsy has been one of the smartest pieces of business the Tractor Boys have made in recent times, and if McKenna's side do manage to survive in the top-flight this season, their industrious midfielder will no doubt have played a leading role once again.