Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley admitted he thought his club was going to miss out on signing midfielder Joe Morrell from Luton after the Blues made what he says was a “significantly better offer” to the Wales international having tabled a bigger bid to the Hatters.

Despite that the 24-year-old Ipswich-born schemer opted to join Pompey on a three-year deal late on Monday evening. It’s understood Morrell was concerned that he may be down the pecking order at Town whereas he is set to be a first-choice at Fratton Park.

“It was a roller coaster ride,” Cowley told the Portsmouth News. “I think it was after the first loop the loop when I was feeling a bit sick.

“It was on, it was off, it was on, it was off, it was on. I don’t actually know how we signed him, if I’m honest.

“I don’t know how he decided to come here because he had a significantly better offer from another club, but Joe loves football. He just felt his heart, that’s what he said.

“I have spoken to Joe probably more than anybody this summer. I think we’ve known from the day we got this job that he’d be really good for us and fits the way we want to play and our ideas.

“Financially, we didn’t think it was possible. It then became possible. We thought we’d got it done - then another club came in and just blew us away, took it away from us.

“And somehow it came back to us. We didn’t think it would — but it did. We had moved on, we didn’t anticipate that it could be done.

“However, sometimes it’s not always about money, not everybody in this world is governed by money. Some people are governed by ambition and wanting to be the best they can be.”

Meanwhile, according to BBC South reporter Andrew Moon, Cowley revealed that Portsmouth winger Michael Jacobs jokingly reintroduced himself to his Pompey team-mates when he returned to the club following the collapse of his move to the Blues.

Photo: Action Images

MaySixth added 18:57 - Aug 11 Rent free.
5

buzbyblue added 18:59 - Aug 11 boy oh boy this man is bitter...... Suggest we give him an extra warm welcome to PR :)
0

danchances22 added 19:07 - Aug 11 Rent free. Cowley won't stop talking about town
2

algarvefan added 19:15 - Aug 11 On a morality point Town got what they deserved, nothing.
-2

BlueBlood90 added 19:17 - Aug 11 Does Cowley get £1 every time he mentions Ipswich Town?
4

berkstractorboy added 19:20 - Aug 11 Embarrassing Cowley you signed him Monday its done move on man we have. Concentrate on your own team
2

Bluemike31 added 19:22 - Aug 11 Is this prat gobbing off again!!!
0

Lathers added 19:22 - Aug 11 The guy clearly didn't fancy competition for first team football, which says volumes about him. I'm loving the Pompey jealousy… short lived memories of big wages spent on Merson, Berger, Yakubu and Sherwood 😂
11

midlandblue54 added 19:29 - Aug 11 Clearly wanted the job here
1

ArnieM added 19:32 - Aug 11 And so the Cowley gob motors on ….. what's his problem ? He got his man … we've got ours … stfu Cowley !
0

ArnieM added 19:33 - Aug 11 And clearly Morrell doesn't fancy a fight for the shirt lol!
4

Suffolkboy added 19:35 - Aug 11 Asked questions ,all DC did was to answer honestly and in thorough detail ! It's truly difficult to understand the outlook and thinking behind some of the ‘sour ‘ reactions and lightweight ‘vitriol ‘ ! Am I too old to understand ‘modern day ‘ tribal nonsense and emotion ?? The player obviously made a life style choice ,and on this occasion WE and PC were not convincing enough – good luck to him ! COYB

13

cat added 19:37 - Aug 11 Speaks volumes on the quality of the players we now have at the club. We sampled patches on Saturday but I'm looking forward to when we hit top gear and smash this tin pot league!
3

AbujaBlue added 19:37 - Aug 11 I remember reading in the Portsmouth forum, when the Ipswich rumours were in full swing, that Morrell was a s*** stirrer and caused dissent among the team whenever he wasn't in the starting eleven. I'd love to see the positive spin on that from the same poster.
0

Fatboy added 19:42 - Aug 11 Sorry but I've got to disagree with some of the above comments. Firstly, Cowley doesn't mention Ipswich in the quotes given in the article, just "another club", which is fair enough in the context of the story. Also, whilst I'd have liked Cook to have got his man and for Morrell to have come to PR, surely there's something admirable about him taking a lower offer from elsewhere with the expectation of actually getting onto the field and playing football? Isn't that attitude the opposite of what we have criticised certain players for when they have moved from us to higher-placed clubs where they would just be bench-warmers?

34

Smithy added 19:44 - Aug 11 Well Cowley's turned into a bit of a gobsh*te hasnt he,
-7

1Warky added 19:50 - Aug 11 Pretty obvious Cowley wanted to manage Ipswich. Our new circumstances have turned his feelings into bitterness.
1

dyersdream added 19:53 - Aug 11 Leave us alone Cowley your embarrassing yourself 😂
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Towny_in_Taipei added 20:06 - Aug 11 It won't be long before Cowley starts stalking Cook, he appears to be that obsessed with ITFC he can't help himself the whinging melt!!
-2

Edmundo added 20:29 - Aug 11 Danny stop it, mate. It's like the mate taking constantly in disparaging terms about the girl he fancies who turned him down.
0

WhoisJimmyJuan added 20:32 - Aug 11 I 5hink Midlandblue 54 hits the nail on the head. Exactly what I thought.
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JewellintheTown added 20:47 - Aug 11 19th October, Portsmouth, away. Should be a tasty encounter! We'll hopefully be up & running full steam by then too! Shame we have to wait until next year to welcome Cowley to Portman Road.
0

terryf added 20:52 - Aug 11 Morrell wanted first team football but obviously realised that he'd have a job shifting either Evans or Harper, so opted for Portsmouth. All the other verbals about the Manager was a big factor etc are typical player rhetoiric and meaningless. If he was nailed on for a position in the Team and with the money Town were prepared to pay him he'd have been here like a shot.

3

trncbluearmy added 21:16 - Aug 11 To be honest find it quite refreshing just wants to play regular football for a decent club, good luck to him
8

Eddie1985 added 21:29 - Aug 11 If cooks current record continues as it has he may get his wish of managing us
1

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