Tom Carroll has joined League One club Ipswich Town and he’s now revealed how the offer from the Suffolk club came about.

After leaving QPR at the end of last season, the Englishman was without a club. He took up the offer to train with Derby County this summer and it was during a pre-season friendly match where Carroll caught the eye of Ipswich manager Paul Cook.

"Probably a week or so ago I was in at Derby training”, Carroll told the East Anglian Daily Times.

“The manager [Cook] had come to one of the games and had given me a call, giving his thoughts and plans for the season. He’s a really positive guy and I’ve seen how his Wigan teams play, so it was nice to get the call.

The former Spurs and Swansea midfielder will be bringing a wealth of experience to Portman Road, something that will have no doubt influenced Cook’s decision, as Carroll appeared 94 times in the Premier League for both clubs.

Carroll explained how he had also received an offer from QPR, however, for one reason or another it wasn’t going to work.

“I hadn’t planned on dropping to League One because everyone wants to play as high as they can, but it’s a bit of a strange window at the minute. I had a contract offer from QPR but one thing or another didn’t fit into place and I wasn’t as happy as I felt I should have been, in terms of how I was treated there."

It looks like Cook may have promised the midfielder the game time he’s looking for too, as he went straight into squad for their game against Cheltenham on Tuesday night.

The Verdict

This will be a situation that firstly many Derby fans will look at and think, ‘why didn’t we sign him?’. With the situation as it is at Derby and considering Carroll’s experience, this could have been a great addition for the Rams.

Ipswich, though, did make the move and it’s a fantastic deal for both parties. For Carroll, it seems he will be guaranteed game time here. As for Ipswich, they have recruited a player with great experience and, whilst still only 29 years of age, he could certainly have a lot to offer.