Derby County striker Conor Sammon has joined the Blues on a season-long loan from Derby County. Town have been linked with the 27-year-old Republic of Ireland international on a number of occasions since Mick McCarthy took over at Portman Road.

Sammon trained with the Blues squad this morning and will be in the squad at Reading tomorrow if the paperwork goes through before tomorrow's noon deadline.

Sammon told the club site that the chance to work with Mick McCarthy was one he couldn't turn down: "Once I became aware that the gaffer was interested in bringing me to Ipswich, it was an opportunity that really excited me.

“I have always admired the manager from the time he was in charge of the Ireland national team. He is very straight, very honest.

"He came across that way in the interviews I used to see him do from years ago and from the conversations I’ve had with him, he’s exactly the same now.

“I’m looking forward to working under him. I think I’m the type of player that will suit what the gaffer wants from his players and how the team is here.

“Last season was a frustrating one for me on a personal level at Derby, even though the team had a successful season and were close to getting promoted.

“It was difficult training through the week knowing that you weren’t going to be playing on the Saturday. Coming to Ipswich gives me a new opportunity to really fight for a place in the team. Hopefully it can be a very successful loan for me and the club.”

Explaining the move, Derby boss Steve McClaren told the Rams' official site: “Conor’s first-team chances were limited last season, especially with Chris Martin in superb form.

“That was unfortunately going to be the case for him this season, especially following the arrival of Leon Best from Blackburn Rovers, so moving on loan to Ipswich presents him with a strong possibility of playing first-team football.”

The Dubliner, who has been handed the Town number 32 shirt, played youth football with local side Cherry Orchard, then moved on to UCD, Derry City, Kilmarnock and then Wigan before joining Derby for £1.2 million in the summer of 2012.

Since then Sammon, who has won nine full Ireland caps, has made 49 starts and 40 sub appearances for the Rams, scoring 13 goals.

Sammon, who earlier in the summer was linked with a reunion with former Derby boss Nigel Clough at Sheffield United, is contracted to the Rams for another two years.

Photos: Action Images/ITFC

Photo: Action Images

BrettenhamBlue added 14:04 - Aug 15 Good signing. Hard working player who will give his all to the club. Anyone know if there is a potential recall clause? Can't see him being a prolific scorer, but will work hard with Nouble to supply ammunition for the rest of the team. Good replacement for Taylor.
1

DoobDude added 14:07 - Aug 15 Initial reaction when I saw this was to sigh and say "oh dear" Hope he proves me wrong but he's basically Nouble mark 2
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OldClactonBlue added 14:10 - Aug 15 Inspired!!
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bluehook added 14:10 - Aug 15 Who knows more about the sport of professional football - half baked Sunday morning pub players and most of the half wits on here - or MM? Let's give this player a chance before slating him eh?
13

Bigbigg added 14:11 - Aug 15 Agree 100% with what Len Brennan is saying. Not much more to add on this underwhelming signing!
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battyblue added 14:12 - Aug 15 more fellow championship sides cast offs not good enough for Derby why should he be good enough for us very disappointing again but better than Nouble i suppose then again who isn't. Not up to Paul Taylors standard so gone backwards again but hey ho .
2

Ipswich_Crazy added 14:12 - Aug 15 cleggo and all the rest slagging him off, your not all there! Wake up! we are not man city! We have to follow the FFP rules! and hes not a bad player! Give the bloke a bloody chance! Idiot fans with no knowledge!
10

essexboy added 14:13 - Aug 15 Too many knockers on here,can't be reall supporters otherwise you would give the lad a chance before knocking him.Get real some of you.
9

Ipswich_Crazy added 14:14 - Aug 15 Well said Essexboy!
6

Monkey_Blue added 14:15 - Aug 15 Not overly excited by this signing but MM knows the player better than me. Would have liked a striker with a bit of pace. Hope he does well for us, but whenever I've seen him play was of the opinion that he was a bit of a battering ram with very little subtlety.
1

battyblue added 14:16 - Aug 15 So is this the premier league loan player we were getting?
1

Ipswich_Crazy added 14:16 - Aug 15 If i can remember alot of fans were moaning when we signed Murphy and look how he has turned out! Enough said!
5

BrettenhamBlue added 14:18 - Aug 15 Agree with bluehook MM is building a team. Sammon has played up front before for Republic of Ireland alongside Murphy and O'Neill did pick both strikers for his original 32 man squad. He will have had a good talk with Murphy prior to this move and would have weighed it up carefully. Though I do believe Taylor has talent (and btw Taylor is back with us in Jan to add to striking options) Sammon may well be a better all-round team player. Now we just need to sign up Jon Nouble to rejuvenate our Frank!

0

mal1978 added 14:19 - Aug 15 We needed another striker, as after watching Nouble play at crawley, I can confidently assert that everyone around us in the ground thought he was a load of rubbish. I would have scored that chance he had in the first half! Sorry Nouble, I'm sure you're a nice guy, you make no effort in contesting high balls with defenders, and you cannot finish what is total meat and drink to any remotely half decent striker. He needs to go on loan to a team one or two steps down the league pyramid.

6

brassy added 14:21 - Aug 15 Welcome to portman road young man give it your best shot that's all we ask,COYB.
4

neilvanlimbeek added 14:27 - Aug 15 wake me up on the last day of the season when we finish 11th and he has scored 3 goals and Nouble 2 all season - looked good in Scotland but a poor mans John Walters for me
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IpswichFan26 added 14:32 - Aug 15 Thierry Henry wasn't a prolific scorer before he joined Arsenal. I'm not saying that Sammon is going to be anywhere near the player that Henry was, but maybe now at Ipswich, he'll prove all his doubters wrong. That'll give him much more drive to be a good player. Good luck to him, I hope he does well here.
2

ZurichBlue added 14:35 - Aug 15 Underwhelmed by this signing TBH - but would be delighted to be proved wrong!
2

Alwaysablue added 14:35 - Aug 15 Don't know why everyone is saying not to judge him, we've seen enough of his poor displays at Derby resulting in a Norwich reject starting ahead of him.
5

pazelle added 14:37 - Aug 15 When he first arrived at Wigan he looked decent. The Derby backlash is down partly to the fee I suspect. Good luck Connor!
3

fourpee added 14:45 - Aug 15 I really can't understand the logic in this signing. Strange indeed.. I hope he proves all of us wrong, but highly unlikely.
4

clive_baker added 14:51 - Aug 15 Interesting how football can divide opinion. I've seen a lot of Sammon, and he's always looked an absolute handful who also has the potential to chip in with goals. He'll do well to force Murphy and McGoldrick out of the side now but beyond those 2, he's head and shoulders above Bajner and Nouble at the moment. Given the nature of the deals, and probably salaries involved, our transfer activity in the past 24 hours has essentially been a straight swap - Taylor for Sammon. That's a net gain for us trust me. Welcome aboard.

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BigG1983 added 15:00 - Aug 15 Welcome Connor. In the unlikely event that you read this board, please don't listen to some of the people on here, they don't realise that stats don't tell the full story. I for one am glad we have a player in whose strengths our management team know how to use. From what I have seen of your play to date I think you will be a hit here.
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Lightningboy added 15:02 - Aug 15 Dear oh dear.
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blueherts added 15:06 - Aug 15 Lets hope he becomes a 'Poacher' and 'smokes' out those defences Welcome aboard Connor -
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