Town boss Mick McCarthy says 19-year-old Barry Cotter, who joined the Blues from League of Ireland Limerick yesterday, has the qualities to stand a chance of making it as a Championship player.
Republic of Ireland U19 international Cotter, who has signed a deal until 2021, was recruited for a fee understood to be around £70,000 following a recent trial.
"He’s the type of player that we look for, certainly as a club,” McCarthy said. "He’s come from Limerick.
"He’s got in their first team and he’s impressed. He came here and trained with us for two days and I instantly liked him, his personality, just his demeanour around the place, his confidence.
"He’s very quick, he’s athletic, he’s a centre-back, a right-back, he played, he put some great balls in, he can handle the ball.
"And he likes defending, he doesn’t mind blocking things and tackling and I just thought it was a no-brainer if we could bring him.
"He’s not ready for the first team, but he's got the chance. With all those qualities, he’s got the chance.”