On the move to Europe
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Aidan Morris has been transferred from Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew to English Championship side Middlesbrough FC. It is a significant deal for the Crew. Middlesbrough are expected to pay in the region of $4m (€3.73m) plus bonus payments for the 22-year-old central midfielder. “We’re delighted to welcome Aidan to the club,” Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick said in a club statement. “He suits our style of play, he’s strong, he likes to get on the ball, and he plays off both feet. He’s a good age, but he’s already had a taste of success and he has a good amount of experience.”
The parameters of that deal would make Morris one of the five most expensive player sales in Columbus Crew history (overview). While the transfer fulfills Morris’ ambitions to head to Europe, the Crew will lose a key player. The 22-year-old Fort Lauderdale, Florida native has been a big part of a Columbus squad that reached the final of the Concacaf Champions Cup this season.
Indeed, Morris was among the scorers in Columbus’ 5-2 aggregate (3-1; 2-1) victory in the semifinals against Monterrey. But the central midfielder was unable to make the difference in the final against Pachuca (3-0). Despite being in Concacaf action, the Crew have played a strong campaign and sit sixth in the Eastern Conference with three games in hand.
Aidan Morris to Middlesbrough – Crucial player in Nancy’s system
A homegrown player, Morris has been part of the MLS side since the 2020 season and has scored seven goals and 11 assists in 105 games across all competitions for the Crew. The US men’s national team player had his major breakthrough with the arrival of head coach Wilfried Nancy. Under the Franco-Canadian coach, Morris has developed into a key midfielder for Columbus both in the attack but also in terms of defensive duties.
According to Wyscout, Morris was 11th in MLS with 9.7 passes to the final third and 20th with 73.39% defensive duels won. With that in mind, Morris is certainly one of the more complete midfielders in MLS, and while he will be a great signing for Middlesbrough, his departure will be a big loss for the Columbus Crew.