HAMILTON Academical's young striker, Joel Thomas, underwent a medical at Colchester United as he prepares to complete his move to the Community Stadium.

Carl Marston

HAMILTON Academical's young striker, Joel Thomas, yesterday underwent a medical at Colchester United as he prepares to complete his move to the Community Stadium.

The U's have already agreed a fee for the Frenchman, who looks poised to further bolster manager Paul Lambert's attacking options ahead of the new season.

Thomas has only scored one goal in 28 senior outings with Scottish Premier League outfit Hamilton, although 18 of these appearances have been as a substitute. He signed for the Accies a year ago, after trials at Dundee United and Wigan Athletic.

Thomas' agent, Sebastien Thiery, revealed yesterday: “A fee has been agreed and he is now at Colchester having a medical.

“He is set to sign a three-year contract and he is looking forward to playing for Colchester.”

Thomas, 22, started his career at Bordeaux, where he played for the “B” team, before having a spell in Germany playing in the reserves at Kaiserslautern.

Meanwhile, the U's are still hoping to sign fellow Accies striker, Richard Offiong, who was the club's joint leading scorer with six goals last term. The 25-year-old began his career at Newcastle United.

And United could also further strengthen their midfield options before the start of the season.

This could even mean a return to East Anglia for former Ipswich Town midfielder Matt Holland, who has been training with the U's this month since being released by Charlton Athletic.

The 35-year-old played more than 300 first team games for Town, between 1997 and 2003, before his move to Charlton. He is currently a free agent.

Holland, who was also a stalwart at Bournemouth earlier on his career, earned 49 caps for Republic of Ireland. At the moment, he has been keeping himself fit with the U's during pre-season.