COLCHESTER United have completed a double swoop after signing Luke Chambers and Luke Hannant.

The U's have brought in experienced former Ipswich Town captain Chambers, on a two-year deal.

And they also snapped up winger Hannant, who has left Cambridge United after playing a big part in their League Two promotion, last season.

Hannant has also signed a two-year deal, with an option for a further year.

Chambers, along with Cole Skuse who signed for Colchester last month, departed Ipswich after the club decided against offering him a new deal.

The 35-year-old clocked up nearly 400 appearances for the League One outfit on a free transfer from Nottingham Forest, in the summer of 2012.

Chambers started his career at Northampton Town, making his senior debut for the Cobblers in a division two match in 2003.

The 6ft centre-back moved to Forest in January 2007 and made nearly 250 appearances for the Reds, before joining Ipswich.

Chambers said: “This has come at the perfect time for the club and for myself and I still feel I’ve got a hell of a lot to offer on the pitch.

“It’s not me coming here to see out my days as a player.

“I feel I’ve got three, four, five years left in me potentially so hopefully I can help us do that and enjoy the ride.

“It’s the perfect fit for me to come and give my experience to the club and hopefully add value to the club, going forward."

Hannant arrives at Colchester fresh from helping Cambridge win promotion from League Two.

The 27-year-old, who can play either in midfield or on the wing, made 48 league and cup appearances for Mark Bonner's side in the 2020-21 campaign, scoring seven times.

He spent two years at the Abbey Stadium, having previously had spells at Port Vale and Gateshead.

Hannant said: “I’m 27 now and I needed to go somewhere where I know I’m going to play a lot of minutes.

“I just wanted that new challenge of going to a new club, a new environment, working under a new gaffer and being involved in a different team.

“Hopefully that can help me carry on having a good career.

“It was a tough and emotional decision (leaving Cambridge), having created so many relationships and bonds over the last two years.

“I had that promotion season under my belt and experienced all of the highs of that, it was a tough decision.

“But something outside of my control couldn’t be sorted between myself and the club and it was then decided that I would have to move on and start a new challenge somewhere else and that’s just how it is.

“You have to take everything into consideration.

“The club has gone up into League One now and it’s their first season in that league, so they’re just looking to try and look after themselves as well as everyone else.

“But at the end of the day, it’s just one of those decisions I’ve had to make at this stage of my career."