Town have confirmed the signing of veteran centre-half Richard Keogh from Blackpool, the seventh addition of the summer.

Keogh, who is 36 on Thursday, comes into the squad as experienced cover on a one-year deal, a move which will allow the Blues to send fellow Irishman Corrie Ndaba out on loan. We understand Scottish Premiership Kilmarnock and League One sides Burton and Fleetwood have all shown interest.

Essex-born Keogh was at Playford Road as an academy player having joined the club aged eight and was a ballboy before being released and moving on to Stoke City’s youth set-up in 2003.

“It’s amazing to be back,” Keogh told iFollow Ipswich. “I started my football journey here and I have so many memories from my early days, so I can’t wait to get back out on the Portman Road pitch in front of the fans.”

Manager Kieran McKenna added: “Richard is a fantastic addition to the group. He is respected in the dressing room and has been through the highs and lows in football. He will be valuable to us over what is a long season.

“His experience at club and international level is great, and he can still contribute having played a good number of games with Blackpool last season. He is an intelligent player and reads the game very well.

“He had a little niggle not too long ago, but is fit now and will join up with the group immediately.”

Keogh, who will wear the number two shirt with Town, spent a spell with Icelandic side Vikingur on loan during his time with Stoke and having failed to break into the first team with the Potters moved on to Bristol City in 2005.

Loan stints with Wycombe, Huddersfield, Carlisle and Cheltenham followed before he joined the Cumbrians on a permanent basis in 2008.

Two years with Coventry followed from 2010 before a seven-year spell with Derby County, where he was skipper and played alongside Blues first-team coach Lee Grant, which ended acrimoniously when he was sacked in the wake of the car crash in which former Blues loanee Tom Lawrence was found guilty of drink-driving.

Keogh, who suffered a knee injury in the accident which sidelined him for 15 months, eventually won an employment tribunal which deemed that he had been unfairly dismissed and Derby were ordered to pay £2.3 million in compensation. He spoke about the incident and subsequent events in a lengthy interview with The Guardian last year.

TWTD revealed that Keogh, who was capped 26 times by the Republic of Ireland, scoring once, was interesting the Blues in the summer of 2020 after his Rams exit but he eventually joined the MK Dons.

After six months he moved on to Huddersfield and then last summer to Blackpool with whom he made 28 starts and three sub appearances in 2021/22. He has missed both the Seasiders' opening fixtures with a groin injury, suffered in a pre-season friendly against Everton.

We understand the move is a deal that the Blues have been working on for a while - it's believe two offers were turned down - with Keogh set to come in in purely a playing role with no involvement in coaching despite speculation along those lines.

Photo: ITFC

positivity added 11:29 - Aug 10 he may look old enough to be powrigan's grandad, but still looks a lot younger than mogga when he signed (and wark the 3rd time!) and he worked out all right! hopefully only needed as injury cover and a useful voice in the squad, but we'll see what happens
5

Dab added 11:33 - Aug 10 Reading other reports it appears that he wanted to move this way to be near family, which may mean the wages aren't big. Seems to me like KMck is building a squad to just get us out of the league this year. There will be games where we come under aerial bombardment from some teams and having someone of his quality and experience will help. Tail end of last year we lost Edmundson to injury, Burgess suspended and we went into 2 games with Baggott, who did superbly well but if they had been playoff games instead of meaningless ones it may have been different. Still need a goalscorer but this signing does make some sense

5

tractorboybig added 11:36 - Aug 10 when will you lot grow up and face reality....no top rate goal scorer is coming to an average third tier club.
2

gmanrom added 11:36 - Aug 10 Norfolk bluey Vardy was a £1 million gamble from non league and as for Morsey being a regular scorer, where you getting that from 🤣
-1

chepstowblue added 11:42 - Aug 10 One or two are justifying this signing, but contradicting themselves whilst doing so. He's certainly been a very good pro and had a fine career, but did anybody think we needed him or see it coming?! Can he shoot straight? Can we chuck him up top as an emergency striker ?! Our conversion rate is woeful so far, and with the personnel at our disposal its likely to remain that way.

2

ringwoodblue added 11:47 - Aug 10 Undoubtedly a great move for Keogh but I wait to be convinced that this is a good move for Ipswich. Hopefully he stays fit and contributes to helping some of our younger players develop.
3

roystevensonsrocket added 11:51 - Aug 10 I seem to remember that 12 months ago everyone on here criticised the buying of sone aluko and he didn't turn out bad . I rest my case
6

markytitfc added 11:56 - Aug 10 Is he not, the guy who was Derby captain who took Tom Lawrence and another player on a drinking binge and then let them drive drunk?? Then crashed and ended his Derby career . Should be a massive influence on our younger players
-8

peewee added 12:08 - Aug 10 Tho his presence hopefully he will help the younger players and be great cover but it's blatantly obvious that we need a goal scorer or 2
2

pg888 added 12:10 - Aug 10 If we wanted an experienced defender who was a good role model should have re signed chambers
-5

blues1 added 12:33 - Aug 10 Nobbysnuts. Just the typical crap comments as always. Go away and hibernate. Give everyone a break from ur constant negativity.
0

number8 added 12:35 - Aug 10 I'm pretty sure he hasn't come here to help out behind the scenes, warm benches or be cover. He will still be really hungry to play games. I don't think it will be too long before he gets into the first 11. Then people making silly comments against his age may have a second thought!!
-1

blues1 added 12:38 - Aug 10 Lightningboy Why are u like others talking about this signing as tho its got any connection to us signing a,striker? I guarantee u we are looking to sign a striker. But that doesnt prevent us from signing other players. And KM has said hes been looking for an experienced cb all summer. So lets just be patient about the striker we need. Bcse if the player we are after is from a pl club it could takezuntil the end of the window to get him.

-2

osborne1nil added 12:46 - Aug 10 Welcome on board. Good cover and if he gets into the starting 11 either through others poor form or injury, has plenty of experience at higher levels to cope at L1 and maybe difficult to then drop. Hopefully a proven striker in next and we are complete, at least until next window.
1

Wooly74 added 13:07 - Aug 10 Sorry, but really don't understand this one and no one will convince me otherwise. It's not the area of the squad that we need boosting. Having seen our lack of killing off games already in the two home matches of this season it's goals, goals, goals we need. If the US owners are serious about promotion this season then let's spend the money on not one but two 20 plus goal scorers and before anyone tells me that they are not out there, I've watched European football extensively over the last decade and just across the water in the Netherlands there's plenty who would love to come to England and play in the third tier for Ipswich Town. Get the scouts out there and get these players in. No none sense now as a season ticket holder throughout the worst period of our beloved clubs history I'm tired of seeing little nothing clubs coming to PR and beating us!!!

4

keighleyblue added 13:25 - Aug 10 markytitfc obvious troll
-2

blueboy1981 added 13:40 - Aug 10 Nothing on the Field side of Ipswich Town seems to change - no decent Cup Run for yonks, and mid table Division 3 mediocrity season after season. Much talk about ‘success' but it never materialises - every player that is signed irrespective of status, age, or credence is elevated as a Superstar in the eyes and opinion of some, until he actually plays, normally after recovering from injury. Off the Field New Owners, Managers change like changing ones Socks, players come and under utilised, move on and prove successful elsewhere. Excuses are made for defeat and failure by the same Supporters every time, and every season. With the incredible following this Club has - Supporters deserve MUCH better. People won't like this - but overall - IT SIMPLY IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH - and has to change. This, at the moment has all the previous seasons hallmarks of another ‘just the same mediocrity' - and if you compare us with, for example, FGR or even Colchester (bless em') - is nothing but ABJECT FAILURE !!!

5

Bazza8564 added 13:48 - Aug 10 OMG some of you really need shooting! Our second string lost a meaningless cup tie to Colchester yesterday and there are pages of doom and gloom everywhere. Its August, we are two points from the top of the table with 44 games to play, its well known we are trying to do a deal for a striker in a window that has another 22 days to run. We have young CB who arent quite experienced enough yet to rely on in this league so loans make sense and a guy with tons of it coming in on the cheap is a massive help. I love it how there are 3 times the comments on this site when we lose than when we win. Embarrassing!

5

dieselmorris added 13:50 - Aug 10 I've got a mate who only fires blanks, just saying
0

cat added 14:08 - Aug 10 Looks to me like a useful addition and good cover for what we have. Interesting to see if he's got one eye on the coaching side of things but time will tell. As for the striker situation, why not give what we have a chance before pushing the panic button. Last night defeat hurt but in the league where it matters we have had probably the best start for a few seasons.
1

KernewekBlue added 14:22 - Aug 10 A lot of mixed views on this, understandably. I think we all know a GOOD striker would be a very welcome addition to the squad to help us fire up the promotion campaign but, the experience of someone like Richard Keogh in the dressing room or on the pitch when needed, may prove to be just as invaluable. He's not the ideal age at 36 but I really feel he'll be a good acquisition and another strong voice to encourage and teach the younger lads in the team. Let's not be too quick to judge even before he's kicked a ball in anger for the blues. Best of luck Richard and I hope you prove to be a very worthwhile signing and a real asset to the club. COYB

1

Blue_Meanie added 15:08 - Aug 10 Bazza 👏🏻👏🏻
0

Help added 15:52 - Aug 10 Lets hope he is not this years Bonne. Starts really well then disappoints
-1

bluesheds added 15:57 - Aug 10 well if he can be this generations Tony Mowbray, brilliant addition. just need a striker.
0

SpiritOfJohn added 16:07 - Aug 10 Good signing if fit. Let's hope he is more like Mogga than Fish.
2

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls