Colchester United have confirmed the signing of former Blues skipper Luke Chambers on a two-year deal.
The 35-year-old was reported to have agreed terms with the U’s earlier in the week and has now formally joined his close friend Cole Skuse at the JobServe Community Stadium, the duo having been released by Town at the end of last season.
"It's something that really interested me with how the club dealt with the last year, obviously it wasn't the season on the pitch that the club wanted,” the centre-half or right-back told Colchester’s official website.
"The chairman put a plan in place to get us in a position for this year to be able to really try and do something.
"That appealed to me straight away - I want to be coming to a club that has aspirations of being promoted and wanting to improve."
Chambers had been with the Blues for nine years making 395 starts and one sub appearance, netting 19 times, all but a handful while wearing the captain’s armband.
League One Gillingham were also keen on the former Northampton Town and Nottingham Forest man.
Colchester are also understood to be keen on former Blues midfielder Alan Judge and Emyr Huws, while it is now looking less likely that Freddie Sears will return to the North Essex club with Leyton Orient keen on the 31-year-old.