Town are closing in on signing both former Northampton keeper David Cornell and ex-Portsmouth striker Oli Hawkins, TWTD understands.

Deals with Cornell and Hawkins are both agreed in principle - as is the case with left-back Stephen Ward, who we earlier reported is close to joining the Blues - but with some loose ends relating to the moves still to be tied up.

While it’s hoped that some or all of the three signings could be announced today, due to the added complications presented by the Covid-19 situation it might be that the additions aren’t confirmed until the weekend or on Monday.

As revealed yesterday, keeper Cornell was at the club to hold talks with the Blues having been looking for a second keeper with former loanee Will Norris, who is close to completing a switch from Wolves to Burnley, having departed at the end of the season.

Cornell, 29, who it's believed will sign a two-year deal with the usual option for another season, was initially mentioned in connection with the Blues in December, again in January and more recently July with a host of other clubs said to have been monitoring his situation.

The Welshman left the Cobblers at the end of their successful League Two promotion season having rebuffed the offer of a new contract.

Born in Waunarlwydd, Cornell started his career at Swansea during which time he had spells on loan at Port Talbot, Hereford, St Mirren and Portsmouth before moving on to Oldham in the summer of July 2015 having made only one League Cup appearance for the Swans.

In June 2016 he joined Northampton and went on to make 107 starts and one sub appearance while at Sixfields, helping them to win promotion to League One via the play-offs last season.

The 6ft 2in tall keeper was reportedly close to a first Wales call-up last season having won caps at U17, U19 and U21 levels.

As well as another keeper, a big frontman has been among manager Paul Lambert’s main targets this summer and at 6ft 5in tall Hawkins certainly fits that bill.

The 28-year-old, who TWTD revealed was in talks with the Blues last night, started his career in non-league with North Greenford, Hillingdon Borough, Northwood, Hemel Hempstead Town and Harrow Borough.

The Ealing-born striker got his break in league football when Dagenham and Redbridge signed him in January 2016.

In August 2017, with the Daggers by now in the National League, Hawkins moved on to Portsmouth.

The centre forward, who has also often operated at centre-half, scored 18 goals in 71 starts and 25 sub appearances before being released by Pompey, with whom he won the EFL Trophy in 2018/19, when his contract was up this summer.

Last season he was rarely involved, and when he was often in central defence, failing to find the net in nine starts and four sub appearances.

Hawkins was previously linked with the Blues in January 2017 when he was with the Daggers with Town subsequently signing another towering striker, Kieffer Moore, from Forest Green Rovers.

On the day Moore joined the Blues, ex-Town winger Darren Currie, then the Daggers' assistant manager, gave BBC Radio Suffolk's Life's a Pitch his thoughts on the pair.

“Oliver’s very similar to Kieffer Moore, obviously I’m going to be biased and say Oliver’s better!” Currie said.

“He’s another one that for a big man is good on the floor, very mobile for a big man, he’s got goals. He’s filled in at centre-half for us once or twice and he’s looked very comfortable there as well.

“He’s a great kid to work with, very humble boy, came from Hemel Hempstead, so his roots are very good and he’s gathering interest as well because he’s been playing very well.”

Prior to the three currently ongoing deals, the recruitment of young winger Ross Crane from Bury was Town’s only business of the summer.

Photo: Action Images

rugbytomc added 21:19 - Aug 14 Needed all three of those. Now let's go sign a centre back to provide competition for Chambers and Wolfenden and also move on some of our central midfielders
1

ringwoodblue added 21:26 - Aug 14 For me it's not about the signings, it's who we might lose that I'm more worried about. If these signings are to replace rather than add to our squad then that's a concern. For instance adding Hawkins gives us more options upfront but if his signing means Jackson leaves, we have a net loss.
2

cat added 22:24 - Aug 14 Assuming these 3 are adding to the squad and not replacements for outward bound players then its a good bit of business. Adds strength and experience to the weaker areas and hopefully some more energy, all good imo
1

soclopath added 23:23 - Aug 14 To expect us to sign players who have been on championship wages is wishful thinking,signing players of the calibure mentioned/ criticised in this post is where we are get real and accept where we are third tier and hopefully these players may see us move up.Then financially how will we survive in the Championship.
1

KiwiBlue2 added 00:32 - Aug 15 This is a big season for a few of our young players who have promised so much in glimpses but not been able to deliver consistently, particularly Bishop and Dozzel. I hope that they can stay injury free, earn substantial game time and demonstrate their undoubted talent week after week. If we can get the midfield going properly we can expect more goals.....
1

Dockerblue added 08:15 - Aug 15 Six ft five striker to challenge Chambers footballs into the opposition box! Sounds like we are building a side around our incompetent captain. God help us long suffering fans
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Dockerblue added 08:16 - Aug 15 That should say hoofballs!!!
0

tractorboybig added 09:12 - Aug 15 when you are rock bottom with a useless manager and crap owner, scrapping the barrel for left overs is all we will get.
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Upthetown1970 added 10:46 - Aug 15 I've seen all 3 play and I have to say I wouldn't touch any of them. I cant see how these type of players are improving our team. Hope I'm wrong!
1

Bluearmy_81 added 11:20 - Aug 15 One season away from cementing our place as a division 3 side. We have to go up this season. This just reminds me of the same old, underwhelming interest in and effort to changes things enough. How on earth is Lambert still at the club?! Complete mess. I'm not at all hopeful.
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Essexipswichboy added 11:24 - Aug 15 This is crap... I don't care if I get thumbs down Every year on here people on here moaning at others being negative but every year we are sliding further down the slope These signings are totally underwhelming and you all know it In fact who has PL signed KVY... We had already had a look at him previously For 3 or 4 years now people have been banging on about our youth so I feel it's S*** or bust if PL can't get the best out of all these youngsters then we need someone who can. These youngsters are the only way forward now It's now or never

3

BangaloreBlues added 11:30 - Aug 15 Something good is definitely brewing.. but it's only my morning coffee.
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Upthetown1970 added 12:45 - Aug 15 Agree essexipswichboy. Let's play lots of youth this season. If I were a young footballer at this club and see the club signing this standard of player I would be questioning is this a club with ambition?
3

Billybobblue added 15:10 - Aug 15 Not sure what signings our fans were expecting. These arent world beaters, we are league 1 and with the salary cap, we are going to have our hands tied behind our backs with player wages and the players we can attract. These players seem like good additions to the squad as they have experience of this league. we have enough youth and they need to stand up and drive the team this year to success. I'm apprehensive of what we can do. I believe we have the talented youngters and the right amount of experience to challenge this season - the management is the only thing worrying me!

3

StavangerBlue added 16:17 - Aug 15 We don't need players with "experience in this league". We need players with "experience of Championship football and winning" a desire to win. Skuse and Chambers out would be a great start! Where are the youngsters? We keep getting told how great they are but we never seem to see them and they never get periods in the starting 11 to improve. Mid-table mediocrity next year. The standards are slipping.

1

BettyBlue added 16:33 - Aug 15 Yet another three rubbish players. A grandad, a non- scorer and a trouble maker. Stick Lambert in a bubble, he is useless. What are we paying him £1m a year for? So he can get more free adidas gear? How about he joins in with pre-season and loses some weight instead of sitting around all day?
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BettyBlue added 16:37 - Aug 15 More crap players for back up to our already crap players. I wonder how this season will pan out? Worse than last year with signings. 14th and below.
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BettyBlue added 16:40 - Aug 15 OMG we've signed two players as bad as Skuse and Chambers. Stick that 4 in a side, I wonder how we'd get on. Probably not out of own half.
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BeattiesBackPocket added 23:41 - Aug 15 Wooly74 I have had a season ticket for over 30 years until this season as much as it bothers me and I would like to go I'm sick of how this club has fallen. You can ask fans to get over Evans mistakes but come on tbh that attitude is why fans like you settle for an average league one side but some fans won't simple as that so make sill comments all you want Evans IS the reason we are where we are and no fans shouldn't just accept it! Will you accept it in league two as well? National league?? He is the SIXTH richest owner outside the premier league and you think the position were in is acceptable!? He's also a huge hypocrite moaning about the wage cap now yet in 2013 he was interviewed in the EADT trying to force a wage cap on the championship THATS YOUR OWNER

1

BeattiesBackPocket added 23:43 - Aug 15 Oh yeah and stop hiding behind the new wage cap in support of Evans as he was going to heavily reduce this anyway he already said that last season if we didn't go up! Christ some people are easily pleased on here with where we are!
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Bluearmy_81 added 00:41 - Aug 16 Beatties, it beggars belief mate. Fans of other clubs I know can't get their head around the apathetic, subservient, sychophancy. It's not what being a proper fan is all about!!
1

Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 08:47 - Aug 16 To me, this whole wage cap thing is being done the wrong way round. The strictest wage cap ought to be on the ridiculous money bandied around in the PL - where a player earns in a week what some of us earn in a year - followed by the Championship. The lower league clubs should be given the opportunity to move up the leagues according to ability and good management, but the gap between what is effectively the second and third divisions is too great for this to be likely to happen. Next thing will be the PL and Championship cut loose and sod the rest.

1

Razor added 10:38 - Aug 17 Whichever way you slice the cake it is just good to get some new blood in the building hopefully with something to prove and we will benefit. What happenned to that Bristol Rovers striker-----really fancy him if we could get him.
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