Town boss Mick McCarthy has revealed that the Blues have signed trialist keeper Jonathan Henly on a one-year contract with an option for a further season, while striker James Alabi (pictured), who has scored two goals in two games for the U21s, has been offered a deal.
Henly, 21, has been with the Blues for the last three weeks, as TWTD revealed a fortnight ago, and played the second half of the U21s friendly at Norwich earlier in the month and against Coventry on Monday, keeping a clean sheet on both occasions.
The Woking-born keeper came through the ranks at Reading but failed to break into the Royals’ first team before he was released at the end of last season. He has been capped by Scotland at U19 and U21 levels.
While at the Madejski Stadium 6ft 4in tall Henly spent time on loan at Aldershot, with whom he made six appearances in what’s now the Vanarama National League during 2013/14, Oxford United, where he failed to play a game, and Welling, where he made 26 starts and one sub appearance last season, again in the fifth tier.
Henly is likely to be viewed as potential cover for senior keepers Bartosz Bialkowski and Dean Gerken, while the addition of a third keeper - short-term signing Paddy Kenny having moved on at the end of last season - would allow Michael Crowe, 19, to go out on another loan spell, having spent time at Woking last season.
Alabi, 20, scored in the 2-1 U21s win at Leeds last week and the 3-0 victory over the Sky Blues on Monday.
The Londoner played youth football with Stoke and Celtic before returning to the Britannia Stadium and then spending spells on loan at Scunthorpe (twice), Mansfield, Forest Green Rovers and Accrington Stanley. In January he had a trial with Dutch side De Graafschap. He was also released in the summer.
"Jon Henly has signed and James Alabi I’ve made him an offer,” McCarthy said. "If he wants to take it, great, if he doesn’t we’ll see him at the far post somewhere else!”
Regarding further additions before the transfer window closes at the end of the month, McCarthy says he's in no hurry.
"I just take the view that if some come along that suit me that we can do we’ll do them," he said.
"If the right deal, at the right price for the right player comes up, we’ll do it. There’s a lot of things in that though.
"I’m [not rushing into it], the progress of some of the young ‘uns has helped but then I don’t expect that they’ll play 20 games a season.
"It’s nice when they can just dip their toe in and have a game but relying on them to be in a team when everybody’s asking me about being promoted and finishing in the top two, relying on all those to be part of that, I think that’s a bit pie in the sky, to be honest with you."
The Town boss says no one will be leaving before the window closes, except perhaps for fringe players going out on loan: "None of the ones who are playing are going out, I’m not concerned about that, but there are a couple I wouldn’t mind going out on loan or going out elsewhere, that’s always the case.”