Town have confirmed the signing of Cardiff City keeper Neil Alexander on a three-year deal. Alexander joins the Blues on a free transfer after failing to agree new terms with the Bluebirds at the end of his previous contract.

Alexander told the club site that he had various options, but had little hesitation in picking the Blues: "I'm delighted to have joined Ipswich Town and am looking forward to the next step in my career.

"The club has a fantastic tradition in the game and, talking to the manager, it's clear that he has a great desire to take Ipswich Town back to the Premiership.

"There were a few clubs interested but once I knew that Ipswich were keen, my mind was made up straight away.

"The club is highly respected in the game, so is the manager, and I was made to feel wanted from the first moment I spoke to Ipswich.

"I was impressed by what I saw at the end of last season when Cardiff were beaten here. You could see that it's a club moving forward and I'm thrilled to be part of that."

Alexander says he spoke to former Cardiff team-mate Alan Lee before committing to joining the Blues: "He was raving about the club and couldn't speak highly enough of the place.

"He said was it was a fantastic club to play football for and is in a nice area to bring up a family. There are some really good players here and I can't wait to get going."

Boss Jim Magilton has long been looking for a more senior keeper - last season taking Jaroslav Drobný on a short-term deal and Mike Pollitt on loan - and is delighted to have landed the Scotland cap: "We have two good young keepers at this club but I wanted to bring in an experienced keeper and Neil is a proven performer at first team level, who has also played on the international stage.

"There were other clubs interested in signing him, but we are thrilled that he has agreed to join us."

Chairman David Sheepshanks says the signing illustrates the board's resolve to help Magilton build a promotion-chasing squad: "We are clearly delighted to capture a player of Neil's calibre and repute and he will bring valuable experience to Jim's squad.

"It is another sign of our determination to support Jim in his drive to build a squad that can challenge at the right end of the table."

Alexander turned down the offer of a new deal at Ninian Park and left the Bluebirds after six years at the end of June.

The Edinburgh-born keeper made 233 starts and one sub appearance for Cardiff, having joined them in 2001 from Livingston for £200,000. Capped three times by Scotland, Alexander made 75 appearances while at Almondvale, having moved from his first club Stenhousemuir on a free transfer in 1998 after two years and 45 appearances for the Ochilview Park club.

Alexander was first linked with the Blues in May but at the time it appeared that Town were close to signing Richard Wright. TWTD reported that boss Jim Magilton had turned his attention back to the 6ft 1in tall glovesman a week ago, after Wright opted to join West Ham.

The 29-year-old could make his first appearance in a Town shirt when the Blues travel to Stevenage Borough for a friendly on Tuesday evening (KO 7.45pm).

Meanwhile, Town have confirmed they have received a couple of enquiries regarding Lewis Price, but no bids. The Wales international looks certain to leave Portman Road in the wake of Alexander signing.

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