New midfielder Sam Morsy admits he had no expectation that he would be leaving Middlesbrough to move to Town on the final day of the transfer window and says Boro turned down loan interest from Championship clubs.
Morsy joined the Blues on a three-year deal a couple of hours before the deadline, the clubs having agreed an undisclosed six-figure fee.
"I had no intention of leaving Middlesbrough,” Morsy told the Hartlepool Mail.
"Even when I was told they were signing a midfielder [James Lea Siliki on loan from Rennes] 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 [Paul Cook] at Ipswich and had told him earlier in the window there was no interest in leaving the club.
"Usually when I’m at a club I’m fully committed, fully committed to the cause and excited for the season.”
He says Boro were only on a long-term switch not a loan: "There were a couple of loans in the Championship to go to but the club wouldn’t accept a loan, only a permanent one.
"At that time Ipswich were the ones who offered a three-year deal. Going there I know the manager and know I’m going to enjoy my football, they have some really good players there and once we get going I think we can have a really good season.
"They have new owners and they’ve made 19 new signings, they’ll probably strengthen in January so I think it’s an exciting time for the club.”
The 29-year-old says his switch wasn’t down to manager Neil Warnock: "Basically it was a decision from upstairs really, a decision over him.
"There is a lot of transition going on at the club at the minute, a new director of football and lots of change really.
"I was the first casualty of the regime really. I spoke to all the coaching staff and had a really good relationship and really enjoyed working with them, good honest guys.
"Obviously I was only at the club for a year and had some really good bonds and loved my time there.”
He says he had good relationships with everybody at the Riverside: "I pretty much spoke to everyone at the club really and will stay in touch but it’s quite sad to be going to be honest.
"There had been nothing to suggest I would be leaving, it was just so out of the blue and I was just purely in a place of enjoying my football and enjoying coming to work everyday.
"It was sad really but this is football and it’s a cutthroat industry. I just have to immerse myself into this squad and this football club and hopefully have a successful season.”
He added: "I had some great memories there and met some great people, it was just a great atmosphere.
"I think there are not a lot of times when you go and you are genuinely buzzing for training, the games and we had that at Middlesbrough. It was a great atmosphere and something I’ll miss.”
The Egyptian international knows the target for the season with the Blues: "The manager has been really successful, I know some of the lads and I think once we get going we are going to be hard to stop. Without a doubt promotion is what we are after.”