Middlesbrough midfielder Aidan Morris may have hinted at a prospective transfer in reaction to Boro defender Luke Ayling’s joyful social media post following the club’s opening day victory over Swansea City.
The Rob Edwards era began with a victory at the Riverside Stadium on a bright Saturday afternoon in Teesside.
Dael Fry’s diving header from a Morgan Whittaker corner on 51 minutes earned Middlesbrough all three points against the Swans in an otherwise unremarkable piece of football.
It meant it was an exact replica of last season’s opening day match, when Boro overcame the Jacks at home thanks to an Emmanuel Latte Lath penalty to kick off the 24/25 season.
Aidan Morris makes a possible Max Arfsten transfer hint
Following Boro’s opening-day victory, several Middlesbrough players took to social media to celebrate.
One of them was defender Luke Ayling, who was a surprise pick in the starting lineup on Saturday but delivered an outstanding performance as a central defender with Dael Fry and Alfie Jones.
Ayling simply stated on his Instagram account after the win, “Enjoyable opening day.”
However, Aidan Morris’ statement underneath that post would definitely raise questions among Middlesbrough fans.
Boro’s ‘American boy’ responded to Ayling’s post with a probable transfer clue: “Super Max soon (soon written in emoji form),” accompanied by the side-eye emoji, which is frequently used to represent the notion that someone knows something that others don’t, or to suggest mystery.
What is the link between this comment and a possible transfer clue? Middlesbrough has been extensively linked with a transfer for Columbus Crew left wing-back Max Arfsten, Morris’ former MLS teammate.
Boro are said to have had their initial offer of roughly £2.25 million for the 24-year-old USA international rejected, with the club now reportedly planning their next move.
According to the Northern Echo, Arfsten, Boro’s top transfer target at that position, has informed the Columbus Crew that he wants to come to Teesside this summer, where he would rejoin with Morris.
Arfsten may be an excellent signing for Middlesbrough
Could this be a legitimate indicator from Morris that Middlesbrough is poised to sign arfsten? Time will tell.
What does not appear to be up for argument is the idea that the Columbus star could be a fantastic signing for the club, as the USMNT wing-back appears to fit a lot of Boro criteria.
| Arfsten’s 2025 MLS stats (correct as of 10/08/25) – per FotMob | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Chances created | Shots | Successful dribbles | Duels won | Avg. match rating |
| 20 | 4 | 3 | |||||
After 20 MLS appearances in 2025, Arfsten sits in the top 100 percentile of MLS left wing-backs in terms of shots (36), shots on target (13) and predicted goals (3.79), according to FotMob.
According to FotMob, he is also among the top in his position in MLS in terms of chances created (96.6 percentile), successful dribbles (98.3 percentile), touches in the opposing box (98.3 percentile), and duels won (93.2%).
As a result, he’s swiftly established himself as one of the brightest young prospects in American football, and he appears to suit Edwards’ ideal wing-back profile (high-energy and strong contributors in attack).
It remains to be seen whether he will join Middlesbrough before the 1 September deadline, but Morris may have just dropped a big hint about Arfsten’s future.
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