Ipswich Town have handed winger Mustapha Carayol a deal until the end of the season following his release by Championship rivals Nottingham Forest earlier today.
The 29-year-old Gambia international was due to be out of contract in the summer and has been allowed to move on by new Forest boss Aitor Karanka, the man who also let him go at former club Middlesbrough.
Town have given him a short-term deal, much like they did when signing midfielder Stephen Gleeson from Birmingham recently.
Carayol said: “The gaffer showed interest in me before I signed for Forest so as soon as I knew Ipswich were keen on me it was an easy decision.
“I know a lot about Ipswich. I have played against the team a few times and know a lot of the players here. I saw Cole Skuse in Dubai a couple of years ago and he was trying to convince me to sign!
“I spoke to Frank Nouble a few hours back and he said ‘just go there. You’ll enjoy it’. Frank is a good friend of mine so I couldn’t have got any better advice really.
“Forest was probably the most frustrating time of my career so I’ve come here to play games and I’ll work as hard as I can. I want to make a big impact here and help the team.
“I’m here until the end of the season. That is my focus for now but hopefully I can impress the gaffer and the fans and I can show the gaffer I’m worth keeping beyond the summer.”
The direct wide man played for Torquay, Lincoln and Bristol Rovers in the lower leagues before earning a move to Middlesbrough in 2012. There he made 40 starts and 14 substitute appearances in two seasons before subsequently being loaned out to Brighton, Huddersfield and Leeds.
After leaving the Teesiders by mutual consent he signed a two-year deal at Forest in the summer of 2016 and has made 17 starts and 22 sub appearances for the East Midlands club.
Having allowed Danny Rowe to join League Two side Lincoln on loan, the Blues have been short of wide options in attack. Bersant Celina has been a regular on the left, while striker David McGoldrick has operated on the right during the absence of an injured Grant Ward.
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