Town have confirmed the signing of defender Chris Goteni from French side Saint-Apollinaire on a deal to the end of the season with an option for a further year. TWTD was first to reveal that the 19-year-old was set to join the Blues earlier in the month.
Manager Mick McCarthy later confirmed that the centre-half was signing for Town having impressed while on trial. The Frenchman has been waiting for international clearance before formally becoming a Town player.
"He’s joining us, just to the end of the season with an option,” McCarthy said after the 1-0 victory over Leeds.
"We thought it was worth having a look. He came and trained with us and he trained with the first team and did all right.
"He played in a practice match the other day and was awful but I’d seen enough in the training. I don’t think he’d been training properly and he’d travelled, so he’s joining us.”
Goteni joined Saint-Apollinaire from ASPTT Dijon in the summer, having previously been with Ligue 1 side Dijon FCO's youth set-up.
Saint-Apollinaire play in the fifth tier in France but McCarthy said players have previously been recruited from similar levels and gone on to great success.
"I think your man that went to Bristol City [Jonathan Kodjia] was playing fairly low level and they sold him for £14 million!”
Goteni could make his first appearance in a Town shirt when the U23s face West Brom in the Premier League Cup at St George's Park on Thursday evening (KO 7pm).