Forward Armando Dobra’s season-long loan move to League Two Colchester United has been confirmed.
TWTD revealed yesterday that Dobra was set to join the U’s having reported on Wednesday of last week that they were among the parties chasing the 20-year-old on a temporary basis - along with League One AFC Wimbledon and League Two Salford and Leyton Orient - and on Friday that they were looking the favourites for his signature.
"Armando is a great signing for the club. He had plenty of interest from sides in League One, but chose to join Colchester United,” U’s director of football Tony Humes told his club’s official site.
"He will provide another option for [manager] Hayden [Mullins] to use this season, and we can't wait to see him get going.”
Colchester player recruitment consultant Steve Ball added: "I think Armando's an outstanding player.
"He’s a very, very highly rated, exceptional creative dribbler and I think it’s a brilliant signing for the club.
"He was well sought after and he’s obviously been playing quite a lot this year for Ipswich and been on the bench and coming on.
"When I coached and managed the club, he’s always been on the radar as someone I really like as a footballer.
"I’ve followed him through his youth and reserve career at Ipswich and when I moved into this role at the back end of last year, he was one who was firmly on the radar.
"The chairman [Robbie Cowling] has done great for us in helping with the deal — he’s done a lot of work behind the scenes to make it happen.
"As soon as we got wind that there was a possibility of signing him, I think that changed everything a little bit in terms of who to bring in.”
Town ideally wanted Dobra to move to a League One club but none of those interested were willing to offer terms which the Blues were willing to accept. Shrewsbury are understood to have been among those to make a late but unsuccessful approach.
Clubs in Leagues One and Two have been monitoring the Albanian U21 international's situation throughout the summer but with the Blues having been unwilling to allow him to move.
However, with players coming back from injury and Dobra keen to play regular football, Town sanctioned his loan exit in the last few days.
Dobra impressed in pre-season - including during the friendly against Colchester - and when featuring in Town’s early games in the campaign proper, but his opportunities going forward would appear limited with the Blues having made several attacking additions over the summer, most recently Bersant Celina.
The number 10 or wideman will join eight former Blues players at the JobServe Community Stadium, most of them ex-Portman Road team-mates.
We understand that earlier in the summer Crewe Alexandra, MK Dons and Charlton were all interested but abandoned their pursuit, in the case of the Railwaymen having signed former Blues academy youngster Ben Knight on loan from Manchester City instead.
Last summer, Dobra turned down the chance to move to Crawley on loan, while Falkirk and Mansfield also made approaches.