Former Town striker Tyreece Simpson has admitted he made the wrong decision in turning down a contract with the Blues in 2022.

Simpson came through the Town academy and made two senior starts - both in the EFL Trophy - and five sub appearances for the Blues.

The Ipswich-born frontman spent the first half of 2021/22 on loan in League Two at Swindon Town, scoring 11 goals, but having turned down the offer of a new contract with the Blues, with his existing terms up at the end of the season, was recalled from that spell in January due to his ongoing contract dispute which culminated in a request to move on, a number of clubs having shown interest.

That summer Town took up a one-year option on his previous deal in order to secure a fee, which they did when he joined Huddersfield Town in the September for an initial £500,000 plus top-ups.

Since then, Simpson, who was a talented rugby player as a schoolboy and came close to joining the Leicester Tigers academy, has spent time on loan at Northampton Town, before a permanent switch to his current club Stevenage in the summer of 2024.

The 23-year-old, now a St Kitts and Nevis international, ended last season on loan at Colchester in League Two and is now facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines having ruptured his achilles tendon and sustained a calf tear in pre-season back with Boro in League One.

On Friday evening, he invited questions from fans on Twitter and was robustly quizzed on his Town exit.

“I probably made the wrong decision looking back,” he reflected. “I’ve accepted that a long time ago.

“I’m not living in the past, though. If you got offered triple your income doing the same job, you’re telling me you’re staying? At the time I made a financial decision which was wrong. I was young.”

He added: “If we could all go back in time and change something we would wouldn’t we? But unfortunately life goes on.”

However, he says he won’t let the mistake get him down in the longer term: “Past decision[s] will never ruin me.”

Photo: Matchday Images

Bazza8564 added 10:32 - Jul 19 Greedy agent advising a vulnerable young man. Theres no telling where he would be now had he stayed, either better or worse. Moving on.....
15

Churchman added 10:35 - Jul 19 I thought it was a dopey decision at the time, but understandable. Full credit to him for being big enough to put his hand up. Heck, we all make mistakes in life, especially when young. Anyone that doesn’t probably hasn’t done anything. I hope he recovers well and goes on to have a good career.
27

PortmanTerrorist added 10:40 - Jul 19 Easy to forget we were a shambles back then and then you consider the money....it was (sadly) probably the only decision he was going to make at the time. The regrets come from not having kicked on and now being injured. Loved the lad, but not convinced things would have worked out much better if he stayed, especially knowing what was to come at the Club. Get healthy and go again....and best of luck!

10

blueboy1981 added 10:44 - Jul 19 MONEY - Rules and Ruins everything these days. But who can live without it ?
3

ArnieM added 11:02 - Jul 19 Ha, finally he sees some sense. Agents arent all that are they mate.....
-4

Linkboy13 added 11:10 - Jul 19 He hasn't done a lot so in my opinion completely the right decision would never have had a career at Ipswich dispite all the hype.
1

Jugsy added 11:33 - Jul 19 I think this says more about the fans who decided to slate him. It’s his career, he needs to do what’s best for him. I remember when this happened and clearly we weren’t a competitive offer. No one should blame the lad.
7

senduntd added 11:36 - Jul 19 I liked him, thought it was a shame to let him go. He had exactly what we needed , well built lad.
1

Town1Inter0 added 11:38 - Jul 19 Bazza nailed this at the top of the comments. This’ll be all down to an agent who only cared about the short-term, without a thought of what might be best for the player’s long-term career.
3

RIPbobby added 12:30 - Jul 19 Very honest for one so young to admit he made a mistake. It's life young man and you make mistakes. But sometimes you make the right decisions too. An Achilles injury is right up there with as bad as a footballer can get. Hopefully the club looks after him and he comes back and has a solid career.
2

Town4me added 12:34 - Jul 19 @portman terrorist. What do you mean "it is easy to forget what a shambles we were back then"? Gamechanger were incharge and KMc was here. I wouldn't say we were a shambles at that point.
1

ArnieM added 12:44 - Jul 19 Jugsy: from memory the lad was giving it large to the club, and strutting his stuff. Badly advised by his agent who was looking as they all do, to line their own pockets rather than really care about the clients career. The club offered by all accounts a good deal, but he chose to reject it. His perogative entirely, but it was his then attitude towards Town that put me off him. He clearly regrets that now, but I bkane his agent twittering in his ear.. . As they do often do.

3

Jugsy added 13:17 - Jul 19 ArnieM - he said he was offered three times the amount of the town offer, plus we were in league one and Huddersfield with Championship. So it wasn’t a great offer from town. I dare say we weren’t offering him a starting position either given that we were aiming to get out of league one as quickly as possible, which wouldn’t align with developing players. He was 20 years old at the time, a kid practically. He did what he thought was right and hindsight is an awful thing.

2

Pilgrimblue added 13:55 - Jul 19 Hindsight is the only exact science. He’s still young enough to get back but got to focus on fitness first and forget chasing the money. Hope he’s changing his agent.
1

ArnieM added 13:58 - Jul 19 Maybe he wasn't as good as he thought he was at that tine. Again I lay that down to his agent twittering in his ear... if Town believed he was a real prospect, I think they epukd gave offered him a contract t to reflect that. But as you say he was possibly hankering after a start position which maybe at thst tine he wasn't good enough. So he goes where hes offered more. I get that, but there was definitely bad blood being voiced on whatever media routes it came out on. It really wasn't handled very well all round. Do he left etc intjinknhed had a good loan spell at Swindon? And came back to Town probably expecting more than he was offered... its not easy I get it... but hus agent wasnt helping HIM. It is what it is and his career went a different direction. But he didn't last long at Huddersfield before moving on yet again. Sometimes young players want it all, " now".

0

blueboy1981 added 13:59 - Jul 19 A Sign of the Times when such as this makes News …. !!!
0

tetchris added 14:24 - Jul 19 The lad that went to Man City didn’t fair any better did he?
0

wischip added 15:23 - Jul 19 D'oh!
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Razor added 16:25 - Jul 19 This guy was a real prospect who was badly advised----sad, ,I saw him hit one of the heardest shots i have ever seen at portman road, crikey flames followed.
1

armchaircritic59 added 16:58 - Jul 19 We all make mistakes and misjudgements, heaven knows I've made a few, not all at such a young age! It doesn't help when you're given bad advice either. The important thing is we learn from them, don't repeat them and move on. So I wish him the best of luck wherever his career takes him, when fit again.
2

Flamencaman added 17:30 - Jul 19 Ben Knight has recently signed for Cambridge Utd after a unsuccessful spell in Spain
0

TheLoveOfWisdom added 17:39 - Jul 19 "Unfortunately life goes on" hahahahaaha I'm cackling at this
0

Rozeeboy74 added 18:40 - Jul 19 Football is a strange industry and us fans see the ITFC business through a different lens.
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