Town have announced that the deal to land Blackburn’s Keith Andrews on loan has finally been completed. The 30-year-old joins until January with Rovers manager Steve Kean saying the move is with a view to a permanent switch.
Andrews told the club site: "I spoke to a couple of clubs but after speaking to the manager and the owner here, everything seemed right and it was an easy decision to make. It seems as if the club is going places and I think Ipswich is going to challenge in terms of promotion.
"With the facilities here and the backing the team has from the owner it made me have a really good feeling about this place and I'm looking forward to my time here."
Speaking yesterday, Blues boss Paul Jewell said he was pleased to finally be landing Andrews: "I’ve been really impressed with him when I’ve spoken to him. He scored 16 goals one year for the MK Dons when they got promoted.
"He’s played at this level, he’s played above the level, he’s played international football, but he was injured quite a bit last season and he’s hungry.
"He’s a leader and I’ve been really impressed by his determination to come to Ipswich. He could sit at Blackburn on a lot of money doing nothing.
"We’ve done well. Credit has to go to the owner because there’s been a lot of interest in Keith Andrews among Championship clubs and he’s chosen Ipswich. I’m delighted that he’s our player until at least January.”
Defensive midfielder Andrews began his career with Wolves, moving on loan to Oxford United, Stoke and Walsall before making a permanent switch to Hull City in 2005 when his contract at Molineux ran out.
After a just over a year with the Tigers, the Dubliner moved on to the MK Dons where he made his name playing under Paul Ince, the former England international taking him into the Premier League during his short spell in charge at Ewood Park for £1.3 million in the summer of 2008. The first of the 6ft tall midfielder’s 20 Irish caps - including two goals - followed soon after.
Last season Andrews made only three starts and three sub appearances for Rovers and his exit this summer has been on the cards for some while, despite him having a contract which takes him up to 2013. Leeds and Nottingham Forest were amongst the other clubs interested.
Earlier this week, a tabloid revealed that the details of Andrews’s Blackburn contract and those of some of his colleagues were outlined in a brochure the club was passing to agents.
According to the document, the midfielder is on £21,000-a-week, of which the Blues are likely to be paying only a proportion, plus an additional £2,000 for every Blackburn game he plays.
Andrews’s Rovers wage was due to increase with every five Premier League games he plays and he is due a further annual payment of £26,667.
His former club the MK Dons will receive 10% of any profit made on the £1.3 million Rovers paid for him if they were to sell him.
Andrews is likely to make his Town debut in Saturday's home game against his old club Hull City.