Ipswich Town did not want to let Jonathan Parr go, but in Kevin Foley they have found a replacement who will fit right in at Portman Road.

Parr, keen to play regular football and return to his native Norway with his pregnant wife, requested a switch to his hometown club of Strømsgodset.

Blues boss Mick McCarthy decided not to stand in the 27-year-old’s way and quickly moved to fill the void by calling on his former Wolves player and free agent Foley.

The 31-year-old played for Danish side FC Copenhagen last season and has recently recovered from a shoulder injury.

“Kevin is a great lad,” said McCarthy. “He’s coming in until the end of the season to replace Jonny Parr, giving us good cover and competition for both full-back positions.”

Capped eight times by the Republic of Ireland, Foley spent time training with Shrewsbury and Reading recently.

“He played against my Wolves team for Luton at Wolves and at the time we had some good wide players in Matt Jarvis and Michael Kightly. He saw them all off that day and I signed him on the back of that,” said McCarthy. “He was different class for me. He’s a gentleman, he’s a lovely fella and he’ll fit in perfectly with the rest of the lads here.”

Meanwhile, Parr says Town wanted him to stay at Portman Road. The 27-year-old completed his switch yesterday morning, signing a contract until the summer of 2019, for a fee reportedly in the region of £70,000.

“They were not happy to let me go in Ipswich, but I figured that it was fine for us to go home to Norway now,” Parr told the Strømsgodset official website.

“And Godset was a sensible alternative. My ambitions and the club’s go well together.”

The versatile full-back, who fulfilled many roles for Town during his debut campaign but who has been limited to just three league starts this season, continued: ”I am very excited to play left-back week-in, week-out. It’s good to have one position to concentrate on. The way Strømsgodset is playing football is very nice and I look forward to being a part of it.”

The former Crystal Palace man says he enjoyed his five years in English football, adding: “I’ll take very much from my time in England. It was incredibly informative and nice.

“It’s a lot tougher every day over there, another culture, both good and bad.

“I hope I can contribute with experience and professionalism, and by being a leading figure in the group. I will help the many good young players and gladly give them advice if they fancy it.”