After Tyler Morton openly admitted his urge to be ‘selfish’ with his footballing career, a January stay at Liverpool seems unlikely. A return to the Championship may be a possibility.

The deep-lying playmaker has earned a respectable pedigree in the game, playing 100 competitive domestic fixtures throughout his career.

During the previous two Championship campaigns, Morton established himself as a frequent name on the team sheet for Blackburn Rovers & Hull City. This underlines Morton’s ability to impact a promotion-chasing side, with potential short-term options assessed. 

Norwich City

The Canaries desperately need central midfielders. Anis Ben Slimane, Jacob Sorensen, Gabe Forsyth, Liam Gibbs, Marcelino Nunez, and Amankwah Forson are currently on the sidelines due to injury. 

Although Morton would provide an additional option in Norwich’s midfield, the 22-year-old would also add a fresh dynamic to the team. Morton is a reliable player at retaining possession in deep areas, so he’d fit Norwich’s philosophies excellently, as Johannes Hoff Thorup prioritises building from the back. 

Despite Kenny McLean doing a commendable job in the central defensive midfield position, his technical game can be inconsistent occasionally, especially when playing through the lines. The potential arrival of the 22-year-old would elevate Norwich’s ability to execute those passes more frequently, given the youngster demonstrated his progression qualities at Hull City.

Norwich have often alternated between a 3-2-5 structure and a 2-3-5 shape during settled possession phases, with two midfielders often accompanying the defenders in deep positions. Morton would be an ideal candidate to be involved in a two/three-man midfield, as he’s excellent at initiating passing patterns, combining with teammates fluently, and retaining a quick ball speed in vital areas across the pitch. 

The young midfielder’s long passing numbers for Hull City were strong throughout last season, as according to FotMob, Morton’s long pass accuracy was 62.3% – ranking him as one of the division’s best in that regard. Given that Norwich has demonstrated the flexibility to go longer with their play throughout the season, he would align with that strategy perfectly. 

West Brom

Although Morton to West Brom seems a weak selection because a new manager has just arrived and hasn’t had the time to assess the squad properly, the Baggies need creative midfielders. 

With Corberan favouring a plethora of tenacious midfielders during his tenure at the club, West Brom has often struggled to create opportunities through central thirds of the pitch. Therefore, it puts increased pressure on the Baggies wingers to perform – despite those individuals having promising campaigns.

Uros Racic, Jayson Molumby and Ousmane Diakhite are poignant examples of combative midfielders who have struggled to play through the lines frequently throughout the campaign. It has resulted in West Brom becoming a one-dimensional side in possession. 

Marinating the Liverpool academy product’s ball progression strengths alongside Alex Mowatt would be a fantastic combination for the Baggies. They’d be terrific at retaining the ball in the middle third of the pitch, finding their explosive wide players regularly with a variety of efficient passes to the flanks. 

Furthermore, Morton has endured previous experience playing in a double midfield pivot at Hull City, displaying terrific defensive positioning, enabling the youngster to win multiple interceptions and tackles.

With West Brom regularly being associated as a structured side out of possession, Morton would align with those beliefs, portraying excellent ball progression qualities. 

Sheffield Wednesday 

Shea Charles has been a prominent talking point throughout the January transfer window, with Southampton set to recall the youngster from his loan move with the Owls. If the player is to depart, there may be a ready-made replacement for the Northern Ireland international.

Morton would play alongside senior statesman Barry Bannan and would be an effective midfield partner similar to Charles. Throughout the season, Bannan and Charles’ positions have rotated, but the Southampton youngster had predominantly played deeper, giving Bannan the licence to occupy more advanced positions. 

Between 2022 and 2024, Morton played two entire seasons for Blackburn Rovers & Hull City. Given the physical demands of Danny Rohl’s system, availability and stamina levels are instrumental for a midfielder in his side, with the former Championship loanee possessing those necessary attributes. 

During Morton’s time at Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers, he was often the singular defensive midfielder, meaning the youngster had to show immense maturity to deal with huge responsibility during the early stages of his career. With Rohl showing consistent tactical flexibility from game to game, Morton’s game will evolve from a tactical level, ultimately making him a better player in the future. 

Sheffield United

Another team across the city that should enquire about his availability is Sheffield United. Chris Wilder has expressed his desire to add five new signings to his squad according to the Yorkshire Post. With Vinicius Souza & Ollie Arblaster still on the sidelines, alongside recently injured Tom Davies, a defensive midfielder will be on the Blades’ shortlist. 

As mentioned above, Morton is capable of playing as a double pivot, as that’s the role he played his best football of his career, under Liam Rosenior, at Hull. The defensive midfielder is competent at retreating into a compact shape, as well as pressing man-to-man. With Wilder frequently displaying those tactics against most opponents during the Championship season, the 22-year-old would fit into those ideas seemingly. 

Morton would be terrific at unlocking the talent of Gus Hamer and Callum O’Hare more regularly. This is due to the Liverpool midfielder’s ability to scan his surroundings sharply, before feeding his attacking players with accurate passes. Tyler Morton’s composure has always been an evident trait to his game across his senior and academy years, and he would complement regular starter, Sydie Peck tremendously well for the rest of the season.

Should Morton Seal a Return to The Championship? 

Although the youngster signed a long-term contract with Liverpool in January 2023, his game time under Arne Slot has been limited, with the homegrown talent only featuring for the Reds in the domestic cups. Additionally, Morton has played for the England U21s side across the campaign. 

Likely, Morton wouldn’t be against the proposition of leaving Liverpool permanently. However, a loan move could be an easier way out of the club, allowing him to play football until May – boosting his stock ahead of the summer transfer window. 

He has already recently admitted that a move could be an option.

After two highly impressive spells at Championship level, Morton deserves an opportunity to play for a side, fighting for promotion. Whether that opportunity becomes available remains to be seen, but the four aforementioned clubs should consider his signature.