Aberdeen’s board and manager Jimmy Thelin should move to sign winger Shayden Morris on an extended contract.
I was delighted Morris recently confirmed he is ready to talk to the Dons about extending his stay at the club.
Morris is contracted to Aberdeen until summer 2026, so still has more than a year left on his deal.
However, it would make sense to tie him down to an extended deal as soon as possible.
A new deal for the 23-year-old would be a win-win, as I believe we have only seen the tip of the iceberg of the winger’s talents.
He suffered a frustrating time due to injury setbacks in his first two seasons at Pittodrie following his arrival from Fleetwood Town in summer 2022.
However, Morris has made a major impact under Thelin this season and his hard work and determination are paying off.
Best has yet to come from Morris
Morris is on an upward trajectory and Aberdeen will benefit by tying him to a longer deal – even if only for an extra year or two.
If Morris keeps improving at the rate he is, other clubs will inevitably become interested, as he is a player who can turn games.
An extended contract would give the Dons extra security, if anyone does eventually come in for Morris, they could get a substantial fee.
There are only two transfer windows remaining before Morris’ contract expires.
Morris had a frustrating time when he failed to get game-time in the final few months of last season.
However, he refused to let it derail him and the winger has shown admirable fight to ignite his Aberdeen career this season.
Morris’ skill and scintillating pace
What I really like about Morris is he is a winger with a scintillating burst of pace and can get past defenders using his speed and skill.
His delivery into the box is also a lot more accurate than in previous seasons, which has been shown by his number of assists.
Morris is also not afraid to shoot at goal.
Those are traits that make him a valuable commodity and Morris is only going to get better.
If Aberdeen tie him to a new deal, they will benefit for a number of seasons from what I think will be his continued improvement.
He is a favourite of the Aberdeen fans who even have a song they sing for the winger every time he is on the ball.
Morris initially gained a reputation as a “super-sub” because of his explosive impact off the bench.
Moving beyond ‘super-sub’ label
He had that pace and skill to really punish defenders in the latter parts of games when introduced as a substitute.
The challenge was to reproduce this impact when starting and keep it going for the whole match.
There have been real signs Morris is moving towards being able to deliver that full game impact consistently.
He has also really improved the defensive area of his game.
Morris has pitched in with 11 assists and four goals this season – despite only starting 14 games.
He has flourished under manager Thelin and I’m confident he will go on to regularly make an impact when starting.
Hopefully Morris’ admission he is open to discussing a new deal will be the catalyst for Thelin and the board to open talks.
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