Ipswich Town have completed the signing of Ben Godfrey on loan until the end of the season.
The Athletic reported on Friday that the Premier League club were close to agreeing a six-month loan deal with their Serie A counterparts for the 26-year-old.
Godfrey joined Atalanta in the summer but has made just one league appearance this term, with Atalanta second in Serie A behind leaders Napoli.
“It’s been an exciting couple of days and I’m just delighted to have signed and can’t wait to meet the lads and get started,” Godfrey told Ipswich’s in-house media.
“I have really enjoyed speaking to the Manager (Kieran McKenna) and to have the opportunity to work under him now is something I’m very excited about. I’ve watched a lot of the games from the first half of the season and you can tell from those that the group is a tight one, full of players giving everything to achieve their goals.
“I’ve not played as much as I would have liked so far this season, but I feel ready to contribute and am looking forward to getting out there.”
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Having begun his playing career with York City, Godfrey spent four years at Ipswich’s East Anglian rivals Norwich City and was part of the side that won promotion to the Premier League in 2018-19.
He joined Everton in 2020 and went on to make 70 appearances for the Merseyside club, winning two England caps during his time at Goodison Park.
Ipswich, 18th in the table, have been keen to add defensive reinforcements as they look to pull away from the drop zone and avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
Former Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe remains absent having suffered a hamstring injury in November. Ipswich have also had a bid rejected for Liverpool winger Ben Doak, who is on loan at Middlesbrough in the Championship.
Following Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Fulham, Kieran McKenna’s side return to action against Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.
(Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
