NIGEL REO-COKER JOINS TOWN
Posted: Sat 13 Oct 2012
Author: Steve Pearce
Former Villa skipper signs three month deal as free agent
Town have signed former Aston Villa and West Ham midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker on a short term contract.
The 28-year-old midfielder, who arrives as a free agent, will train with his new team-mates for the first time on Monday and will remain at Portman Road until January.
Nigel began his career with Wimbledon and made more than 60 appearances for the club before joining West Ham in January 2004.
He spent three years at Upton Park, helping the Hammers win promotion to the Premier League then moved on to Aston Villa for a reported £7.5m in the summer of 2007.
The South London born player was a regular in the Villa line-up and clocked up 123 games for the club in a four year spell.
He spent last season at Bolton and only missed one game in their Premier League campaign but following the club’s relegation to the Championship, he parted company with Wanderers and became a free agent in the summer.
A skipper at each of his four clubs, he has spent most of his career playing in the top flight and is capped by England at U21 level, making 23 appearances for his country. He also qualifies to play for Sierra Leone.
“Ipswich is a sleeping giant in the Championship,” Nigel told the Club website. “It’s a massive club with a great history and tradition. The facilities are first class and there is a terrific fanbase. It’s the right club at the right time for me and everything has just fallen into place.
“I had a good conversation with the manager [Paul Jewell]. He’s highly respected in the game for what he has achieved and I know what he’s trying to do at the Club.
“Ipswich may be at the wrong end of the table at the moment but it’s still early in the season and I’m sure with the manager and players the Club have, it’s only a matter of time before things turn around.”
The deal sees Nigel stay at Portman Road until January 12, with the player adding: “I’ve no plans after that. I’m here for three months and am looking forward to it.
“I want to do the best I can for Ipswich in that time and we will see where it goes after that.”
http://www.itfc.co.uk/news/article/reo-coker-joins-town-424937.aspx
