Ipswich Town Football Club announced that it has officially signed defender Cedric Kipre from French Ligue 1 side Reims. The 28-year-old will play for Ipswich in the 2025-26 season. Cedric Kipre is an outstanding central defender who came from the Paris Saint-Germain youth training camp but started his career at Corby Town.  

In 2017, Cedric Kipray officially joined Motherwell Club, and then returned to southern England the following year and signed a three-year contract with Wigan Athletic.  

After playing for Wigan Athletic for two years, Cedric Kipré moved to West Bromwich Albion and won the club's best player and fans' favorite player awards in the 2023-24 season. During his time at West Bromwich Albion, he was loaned to Charleroi in Belgium and Cardiff City in Wales.  

In July 2024, Cedric Kipre returned to France, joined Reims Football Club, and played 28 games in the French Ligue 1 for the Red and White Army in the 2024-25 season. The defender made his debut for the Ivory Coast national team last month and completed the entire game in a friendly match against New Zealand.  

Cedric Kipray is looking forward to joining Ipswich. He said: "I am very happy to be here and to be a part of this great club. It feels great."  

"I played in France last season and it's a very competitive league there. But I'm very familiar with the Championship and I've had some great times here. I love this league so I was very excited when I heard Ipswich were interested in me."  

"I played for West Bromwich Albion in the Championship in the 2023-24 season when Ipswich Town were promoted to the Premier League. The main goal of the team now is to return to the Premier League, which is very attractive for any player. It is for this reason that I chose to join here."  

“I had a great chat with head coach Kieran McKenna and I really liked his work ethic. He was very clear and emphasised hard work, which is exactly what I am looking for. His tactical philosophy fits in really well with my style, so I am looking forward to the upcoming season.”  

"I have several friends who also play for the club and I have been following the team's games over the past few years. This will make my adaptation process smoother and will undoubtedly help me a lot."  

"I had a deep conversation with Sam Mosey, who is my closest friend. He has always been a mentor to me since we met at Wigan. We have kept in close contact over the years and when he learned that Ipswich were interested in signing me, he immediately contacted me and gave me a detailed introduction to the club. I also asked him a lot of questions and he shared many interesting stories about the atmosphere of the club and the local culture."  

“It was a very easy choice for me. He said a lot of encouraging words to me which made it an easy decision. I played against Ipswich at Portman Road and the atmosphere was fantastic, so it would mean a lot to me to play for this club and I can’t wait to get started.”