MORGAN WHITTAKER

Full Name: Morgan Reece Whittaker

Born: 07 January 2001

1. Came from: Swansea City   Went to: Swansea City

1. First game: 30 July 2022   Last game: 01 January 2023

2. Came from: Swansea City   Went to: Middlesbrough

2. First game: 05 August 2023   Last game: 18 January 2025

Appearances: 103 (90/13)   Goals: 33

Born in Derby, Whittaker developed through his home town club's academy system to win honours for England at every level from under-16 to under-20. His 2018-19 season for Derby's junior sides was particularly impressive: he played 37 games for the under-18 and under-23 sides combined, scoring 24 goals and providing 16 assists.

Whittaker made his Derby County first-team debut in August 2019, aged 18; the first of 32 appearances for the Rams, all but five from the bench. Five months after his senior bow, he was rewarded with a new three-and-a-half-year contract, but a little over a year later, on the last day of the January 2021 transfer window, he signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Swansea City for a reported fee of £700,000.

Still only 20, he netted five times in 22 appearances in his first 12 months at Swansea (as at Derby, mostly from the bench), including an FA Cup goal against Manchester City on his debut and a remarkable 11-minute hat-trick against Argyle in the second round of the League Cup in August 2021. Incidentally, that hat-trick was the first by a Swansea player since ex-Pilgrim Scott Sinclair bagged three for them ten years previously.

Whittaker's hat-trick would never have happened if a planned season-long loan to Lincoln City had gone ahead just a few weeks before, but injuries at the Liberty Stadium delayed the move until the January 2022 transfer window. His time with the Imps was a big success; he scored five times in 20 League One appearances, this time mostly in the starting line-up, and it was this regular selection that the 21-year-old attacker was eager to build on when he arrived at Home Park.

He became the fifth new face of the summer of 2022 and third season-long loanee at Home Park, or so it seemed, when he signed ten days before the start of the new campaign.

Whittaker's impressive skills made an instant impression on the Home Park faithful, and his nine goals in the first half of the 2022-23 season helped his side to sit seven points clear at the top of the League One (tier 3) table by New Year's Day. However, bad news came the following day: Swansea recalled the talented forward to play a part in their Championship season, although, frustratingly for him, he made only two starts for his parent club during the remainder of the campaign.

Despite his absence in the second half of the season, Argyle won promotion as champions, and Whittaker's contribution sparked calls for his return. The good news came in mid-July 2023 when he was signed on a permanent deal for a fee widely reported to make him the Pilgrims' first £1 million player. He immediately hit the ground running during Argyle's first campaign back in the Championship, scoring the first goal in the opening-day win over Huddersfield Town. A first hat-trick in green followed in September in the 6-2 rout of Norwich City as Argyle adapted well to life at a new level. Important goals followed at regular intervals and he became an integral part of a side that was playing free-flowing, attacking football at Home Park.

After Steven Schumacher's departure in December 2023, Whittaker continued to impress, drawing attention from several clubs during the January transfer window, when Argyle reportedly turned down several offers, including one from Italian side Lazio. He remained with the Pilgrims under new Head Coach Ian Foster and scored a number of important goals during his ill-fated tenure. He finished the season with 19 goals to his name as Argyle retained their Championship status with a final-day victory over Hull City.

Transfer rumours abounded once more over the summer of 2024, with Argyle again fighting off bids that were way below their apparent valuation. Whittaker's form never hit the heights of the previous season as Championship rivals stifled his opportunities to influence games. Nevertheless, he still produced moments of magic, conjuring up a vital winner against Blackburn Rovers at Home Park and a late equaliser in the 3-3 draw with Preston in October. Amid a run of poor results and following the dismissal of Wayne Rooney as Head Coach, he also bagged the winner in the third round of the FA Cup as Argyle triumphed over Premier League opponents Brentford. That goal was to be his last in Argyle's colours. Numerous rumours circulated during the January transfer window and he reportedly 'didn't show up' for the 0-5 home defeat against Burnley, despite being selected. Two days later, Argyle accepted a bid from Middlesbrough for a reported fee of £6 million, with a further £2.5 million in add-ons (and a sell-on clause) to total, by far, the biggest transfer fee the club had ever received.

His form for Boro was a bit of a roller-coaster; he failed to score in his first 16 appearances of the remainder of the 2024-25 season, as they fell out of play-off contention on the final day of the season. That drought stretched to 25 games and into the 2025-26 season, and he was also cheered off the field in one match at Preston North End when he was substituted. However, he broke his duck in a win over Ipswich Town and proceeded to score eight times in 12 games, including a run of scoring in six consecutive matches. He then ended as the club's top scorer for the campaign, though their hopes of Premier League football were dashed in the 2025-26 Championship Play-Off Final defeat to Hull City.

Having made 66 appearances and scored 14 goals for Middlesbrough, at the end of the summer transfer window in September 2026, he was sold to Major League Soccer (MLS) side Colorado Rapids on a Designated Player (DP) contract until the end of the 2029-30 season, with an option for a further year.

The deal was worth a reported $10.7 million (around £8 million), which was a club-record fee for the Rapids.