Northampton Town have announced the signing of defender Nesta Guinness-Walker on a free transfer.

The 25-year-old has signed a contract of undisclosed length that has been described as a “short-term contract” by the League One club, with Guinness-Walker arriving after his departure from Reading in the summer.

The move to sign Guinness-Walker is in response to injuries at Sixfields, with the Cobblers currently missing Patrick Brough and Ali Koiki through injuries.

Guinness-Walker represented Chelsea and Spurs at academy level before signing for AFC Wimbledon in 2019 after a spell with London-based non-league side Metropolitan Police.

He spent three years playing for the South London side, making 82 league appearances and nearly 100 in all competitions, before signing for Reading in 2022.

Guinness-Walker was released by Reading at the end of last season, having fallen out of favour at the Berkshire club in the 2023/24 campaign and spending the second half of last season out on loan at Stevenage.

Cobblers boss Jon Brady was delighted to confirm Guinness-Walker’s arrival, telling the club’s official site that he was happy the club had the option to dip into the free agent market.

He said, “Luke Mbete has performed really well for us but the injuries to Patrick Brough and Ali Koiki have left us a little short in that position and with a particularly busy run coming up over the next few months, we felt we needed to add some depth to the squad in that area and we are delighted to be able to bring in a player of Nesta’s quality and pedigree.

“While the transfer window may be closed, part of our recruitment work is to be aware of the players available so we are ready to move quickly to react to the circumstances that happen and that is what we have done.

“Nesta has been playing and training with the PFA squad recently so he is ready to go whenever we need him and that’s important.

“He can affect games both from a defensive and attacking point of view, he is athletic and he can get up and down the left hand side. He has done well in League One over the last few seasons, he is a good age with a decent amount of exuberance.