Popular ex-Aberdeen winger Morris reveals he felt 'privileged' to be wanted by Luton
Winger won over by the Hatters’ ambition
New Luton signing Shayden Morris revealed he felt ‘privileged’ to find out he was wanted by the Hatters prior to his transfer deadline day switch from Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen on Monday, also admitting the ambition shown at Kenilworth Road made it an easy decision to head to Bedfordshire.
The 23-year-old has arrived on the back of a stellar season for the Dons in which he helped the Pittodrie club win their first trophy for 35 years when beating Celtic on penalties to lift the Scottish Cup, as his tally of five goals and 13 assists from 49 appearances also saw him named the club’s Player of the Year too. However, with the Hatters making their interest known, then despite their relegation to League One last season, a level he does have prior experience at, playing 32 times in and scoring twice while at Fleetwood prior to his move north of the border in January 2023, he was eager to join.
Speaking to the club’s official website and BBC Three Counties Radio, Morris, who made an instant impact when scoring on his debut in a 4-1 Vertu Trophy victory over Barnet on Tuesday night, said: “I saw they came down, I know the ambition of the club, I know it’s a massive club with a lot of history, really passionate fans which I love. As soon as I started getting the gist that this could be a thing, I started to watch the club closely, see the players they’ve got in the squad. It’s a great squad with a brilliant manager, so for me I’m a really ambitious person, I just want to be somewhere where we're winning football games and looking to get better.
"I want to be playing higher and that’s why I chose Luton. I know they want to get back to the Championship and me, I want to play in the Championship, so I thought this was the best stepping stone to get in the Championship. It was definitely the best place for me and when I heard they were interested I actually felt privileged to be wanted by Luton. It’s a massive club so I said to my agent straight away, ‘this is where I want to be,’ and we fought hard to make it happen.”
Coming into the campaign on the back of a year where he achieved both individual and collective silverware with the Dons, meant it was almost the ideal time to move on for Morris as well, as he continued: "Last season was really nice for me. Personally it was good and to win Player of the Year was a proud moment for me and then to go on to win the Scottish Cup, It was an amazing achievement for me and I did feel like then it was the perfect time to move on. So last season was really good, I’m happy to end that season on a high. I’m just ready for a new challenge and I thought Luton was the perfect place to come and do that.”
Having been born in Newham, as he played football with new Town team-mate Giden Kodua as a youngster, then being back nearer his family, after moving to Fleetwood when he was still a teenager was also a huge pull for Morris too. He said: "I’ve grown up in East London, Gideon's from there, we used to play football when I was younger, so to play together now will be a really nice moment for the community as well, playing professionally at the same team. The dream was always to just try and get to the biggest stage possible.
"As soon as I left school I moved straight to Fleetwood and then from Fleetwood, I went further up to Aberdeen, so just to be closer to home, closer to my family, is something I’ve never experienced as a professional. I think it will bring out even more, just to have my family close to me, it’s a really beautiful thing. The Scottish Premier League is a good league to play in but I did feel I was ready to come back to the EFL. This is my home, my friends are here, my family is here, so when it's close to home, something feels a bit more special.”
Despite playing at the top level of Scottish football and now having another go at the English game, Morris isn’t planning on standing still either, saying: "I'm still dreaming to get to a lot more which is a big reason why I chose Luton. It's been football, football, football for me, it's what I love doing and what I can’t wait to carry on doing.”