Town are close to signing veteran centre-half Richard Keogh from Blackpool.

We understand the deal to sign Keogh, who is 36 on Thursday and who will come into the squad as experienced cover, is not yet completed but should be done today ahead of this evening's game against Colchester. The former Republic of Ireland international, who is at the club this morning, will sign a one-year contract.

Essex-born Keogh was at Playford Road as an academy player and was a ballboy before being released and moving on to Stoke City’s youth set-up in 2003.

He spent a spell with Icelandic side Vikingur on loan and having failed to break into the first team with the Potters moved on to Bristol City in 2005.

Loan stints with Wycombe, Huddersfield, Carlisle and Cheltenham followed before he joined the Cumbrians on a permanent basis in 2008.

Two years with Coventry followed from 2010 before a seven-year spell with Derby County, where he was skipper and played alongside Blues first-team coach Lee Grant, which ended acrimoniously when he was sacked following the car crash which led to former Blues loanee Tom Lawrence being found guilty of drink-driving.

Keogh, who suffered a knee injury in the accident which sidelined him for 15 months, eventually won an employment tribunal which deemed that he had been unfairly dismissed and Derby were ordered to pay £2.3 million in compensation.

TWTD revealed that Keogh, who was capped 26 times by the Republic of Ireland, scoring once, was interesting the Blues in the summer of 2020 after his Rams exit but he eventually joined the MK Dons.

After six months he moved on to Huddersfield and then last summer to Blackpool with whom he made 28 starts and three sub appearances in 2021/22. He has missed both the Seasiders' opening fixtures with a groin injury, suffered in a pre-season friendly against Everton.

We understand the move is a deal the Blues have been working on for a while - it's believe two offers were turned down - with Keogh set to come in in purely a playing role with no involvement in coaching despite speculation along those lines.

Keogh's signing would mean Town would have five senior centre-halves, adding to Janoi Donacien, George Edmundson, Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess with youngster Corrie Ndaba also part of the squad, although now free to make a move out on loan.

Photo: Action Images

Carberry added 12:21 - Aug 9 Will he score goals?
3

legoman added 12:26 - Aug 9 John Wark was a good centre back for us at 40. Mowbray was getting on a bit too?
2

TeHuia added 12:31 - Aug 9 Start him against Derby.
1

KernewekBlue added 12:32 - Aug 9 His age is not ideal but his experience is valuable. As a player capable of covering suspensions and injuries, in this league, he'll be a decent back-up option when called upon. Also, I suspect, given the fact that he's skippered in The Championship, he'll be a motivating voice in the changing room and on the pitch, should it be necessary to play him. He won't be straining the wage budget either, so all in all, a decent move for us at this stage of our team development.

4

KernewekBlue added 12:34 - Aug 9 Would also be great to get a 20+ striker in the door too.
8

blueboy1981 added 12:49 - Aug 9 Much Positivity at the Club - but, equally some strange thinking too !! We'll see - as I keep saying !!
1

ringwoodblue added 12:51 - Aug 9 If this happens, it will be the first signing of the McKenna era I don't agree with. Yes we need experience and leadership but we have that in Walton, Morsy, Aluko and to a certain extent Edmundson. A strange one but I'll await McKenna's explanation and analysis on this signing to convince me.
2

kuyski added 12:53 - Aug 9 For my opinion Burgess is too Impulsiveness,Nadba is still young ,so that is a very good biusiness for us.I trust Kieran McKenna.
0

gosblue added 12:58 - Aug 9 I remember we almost signed him from Carlisle but he went to Coventry instead. I also remember going to Derby on a Tuesday night in 2017 (I admit I had to look up the year) Connelly scored for a 1-0 win to Town and the year after, also a Tuesday night, Tommy Lawrence scored in a 2-0 Derby win. Keogh loved to bring the ball out from the back and was easily their best player in both games. I was really hoping we were going to sign him after they sacked him. I'm not sure we have good enough cover for the central CB position. It is totally different to the other two CB positions.

0

blueboy1981 added 13:00 - Aug 9 Are we still a ‘make do and mend' Club - or do we really mean Business ? Some Supporters will forever agree with everything the Club does - but this will get more than a few ‘scratching their heads'. May also disillusion some promising Young Players - which we are not unknown for …… in more recent times. Are we heading in the right direction ?? - let's all hope so ….. !!!

0

StevieH added 13:05 - Aug 9 Hmmmm. At face value this seems odd. Presumably just backup of some sort. If he ended up playing regularly I would rather we had kept Baggott
1

ThaiBlue added 13:05 - Aug 9 He can organize the xmas party.
4

SchancheITFC added 13:05 - Aug 9 Always liked Keogh. Warrior. Pleased with this.
2

johnwarksshorts added 13:08 - Aug 9 Why are peeps questioning this signing, I say a very useful addition to our squad, brings huge experience at this level and decent cover in case of any injury or illness which the Wolf experienced recently.
4

churchmans added 13:11 - Aug 9 Oh god no! Please no schist bloke&player! We got cover in burgess (good enough as a starter) and other youngsters
-2

Smithy63 added 13:12 - Aug 9 Why another cb and at the age of 35 Other teams with younger players will run rings around him We need a decent goalscorer that can scorer week in and week out not every few games
2

Orraman added 13:15 - Aug 9 Times certainly are changing. When I saw the headline I fully expected a barrage of moans and groans about this signing. However I was pleasantly surprised to find that all but one or two (who cannot really be positive about anything) were taking a purely positive stance. As stated by others Keogh will be excellent cover and brings a wealth of experience to Town. It would only take one serious defensive injury plus a potential suspension or two and he will slot in with confidence. This gets a ‘Yes' from me.

4

blues1 added 13:19 - Aug 9 Why can't fans get it? Ndaba is going out on loan whether we signed another cb or not. So if we were to get injuries or suspensions at the back then it would mean us having to cover them by playing players out of position. This signing means we won't have to unless we' re really unlucky to have 3 or 4 out at the same time. It also brings some1 into the squad who's had promotions under his belt, so knows,what it's all about. And for those saying we need a striker( and yes we do need another), as tho this is an alternative to that, we can sign other players as well as a striker. So just for once let's just welcome him and get behind him when he plays. I get the surprise of people, i was surprised when I 1st saw it today. But having thought about it, it makes perfect sense.

4

Trojan added 13:29 - Aug 9 Thinking outside the box here!! Affordable, good cover, good timing to allow Ndaba to develop elsewhere, experianced and good addition to the changing room and training ground. More positives than nebatives?
4

Nobbysnuts added 13:30 - Aug 9 Ridiculous......
0

runningout added 13:30 - Aug 9 Blues1 are you eating a sticky doughnut
5

stiggytrunk1955 added 13:31 - Aug 9 how old was mobery when we signed him
1

Nobbysnuts added 13:34 - Aug 9 I here razor ruddock is available...he's a bit fat but he could just lie on the goal line.....
3

Nazemariner added 13:35 - Aug 9 Has always been a solid performer, and has played the majority of games at every club he's been at. How old was Mowbray when we signed him? Good signing.
2

cressi added 13:40 - Aug 9 Good player Player with a brain always have a longer career than a speed merchant
2

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