Following their relegation from the Premier League last season, Ipswich Town looked to build what many dubbed as an ‘all-star’ team for the Championship last summer.
Among some big spending moves was the controversial signing of Chile international midfielder Marcelino Nunez from the Tractor Boys’ arch-rivals Norwich City.
A move that caused outrage within the Norwich fanbase and almost mocking glee with the supporters of Ipswich, Nunez became public enemy number one in Norfolk.
Things will only be more frustrating for Norwich supporters with Ipswich now in an excellent position to gain automatic promotion back up to the Premier League at the first attempt after their 2-0 win in the East Anglian Derby at Carrow Road at the weekend.
Nunez, though, put in a fairly forgettable performance and it may well be that, after everything, City fans do get the last laugh, at least in terms of his status at Ipswich and the money they banked for him.
Marcelino Nunez may struggle in the Premier League for Ipswich
Marcelino Nunez
It does appear to be an inevitability that, for the second time in three seasons, Ipswich will secure second spot in the Championship and head back to the top-flight.
They will head back up with a very different squad, both in terms of personnel and character, and Marcelino Nunez is a strong representation of that change.
However, given his injury record and what some believe to be a hot-headedness as FLW’s Norwich Fan Pundit Zeke Downes points out, it may well be he is deemed surplus to requirements by Town in the top-flight: “I fear I may get some hate for this but I think he made himself look a bit of an idiot and sort of proved a lot of the fans right about what he is like.
“He wasn’t on the pitch for long, he played really badly. He should’ve been sent off and was then hooked.
“All in all, it was a really bad performance from him. I know the Ipswich fans believe he has done his job and rattled the Norwich fans and whatever.
“I don’t know what he is playing at but the fact he actually moved there in the first place shows he couldn’t really care less about the fans of the club he leaves, and so I’m sure he’ll do exactly the same, and he will not care about Ipswich when he leaves them.
Do you think Marcelino Nunez has what it takes to succeed at Premier League level?
“I’d say, if and when Ipswich do go up, he will probably have to be replaced because he’s not really the guy that you’d want in the Premier League.
“Even though he might be at that level technically, he misses a lot of games and you don’t want a guy like that, who can get rattled as much as he did, in a better league.
“I think £10 million for him is a really good deal. It’s just annoying that it was Ipswich.”
Marcelino Nunez has provided something extra for Ipswich
Marcelino Nunez - Ipswich Town
Having come through the academy at Universidad Catolica as a deeper-lying midfielder, that is where Nunez thrived most for Norwich, playing as a box-to-box midfielder.
Clearly a technically gifted player, the Chilean has impressed by being able to match and keep up with the physical demands of EFL football since he arrived in England back in 2022.
After making over 100 appearances for the Canaries, his move to Ipswich was a shock one but the Recoleta-born midfielder has been excellent in Suffolk, playing in a slightly different role.
As Kieran McKenna adapted to his new squad from the one that got Town up to the Premier League a couple of years ago, there was a need for added control in the middle of the park and in the build up of attacks.
That led to Nunez being pushed further forward and it has helped Ipswich sustain possession more often in the final third, dominating games rather than being able to play in a more transitional way a couple of years ago with more of a slick, counter-attacking approach as a newly-promoted side.
However, concerns have to be raised over the fact he has managed just 21 starts this season due to injury issues and his combustible nature, as was on display at Carrow Road, will also be something to keep an eye on at a higher level.