Former Republic of Ireland under-21 defender Richard Keogh has joined Derby County for an undisclosed fee from Coventry City.

The 25-year-old had been captain at the Ricoh Arena before the Sky Blues’ relegation from the Championship, and will continue to wear the armband at his new club as Shaun Barker has been ruled out for the entire 2012-13 season.

Rams manager Nigel Clough fought off competition from Bristol City and a number of other clubs to secure the 8-time u21 international’s signature. “Everyone knows we have been looking to strengthen the central defensive area of the team and we believe Richard fits the bill in every respect, so we’re delighted to get one of our top targets on board,” Clough told Derby’s official website.

“Despite Coventry’s relegation last season, he was a commanding presence at the heart of their defence and he has both very good leadership qualities and the right sort of attitude to fit into our squad. We’ve done our homework on him for a long period of time and we believe this is an important signing for us.

“The work we’ve done this summer in the transfer market has allowed us to strengthen the squad as a whole and we’ll continue to build in the same way moving forwards. I am delighted that he has decided to join us and gives us great options alongside Jake Buxton, Mark O’Brien and Tom Naylor in the central defensive position.”

Derby County kick off their 2012-13 nPower Football Championship campaign on August 18th against Sheffield Wednesday.

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