Ipswich Town star has 'already paid back £10m fee' - Norwich City have been robbed with 'absolute bargain' | OneFootball

FLW's Ipswich Town fan pundit has his say on Marcelino Nunez's start to life for Ipswich Town after switching sides in East Anglia

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Marcelino Nunez is starting to make a real impact in an Ipswich Town shirt and is justifying the £10m price tag paid for the Chilean international.

When Marcelino Nunez swapped the yellow and green of Norwich City for Ipswich Town, he became the fifth player to make that switch in history, making it one of the most controversial East Anglian moves in years, and as a result, there was no shortage of scrutiny.

A £10m move, on the face of it, looked like a hefty fee for the Canaries' starman, but his absence has certainly left their rivals with a void in their midfield. As for the Tractor Boys, they are starting to see why they signed the Chilean after some standout performances.

With eyes fixated on how he would fare in his new colours, expectations have understandably been sky-high for the 25-year-old, but he has quietened the noise by delivering on a consistent basis for Ipswich.

Marcelino Nunez is delivering moments for Ipswich Town that justify the price £10m price tag

It was a rather mixed start to his Ipswich Town career a couple of months ago, with minutes being sparse and it taking some time to settle into his new surroundings, having resided with their local rivals for three seasons. However, fast-forward to now, and Nunez is showing exactly why Ipswich made such a bold move.

Standout performances against the likes of QPR and Hull have led the midfielder to be a key part of Kieran McKenna's side, and for Football League World's Ipswich Town fan pundit, Adam Wilkin, he believes that their marquee signing will keep going from strength to strength as time goes on.

Adam said: "Weirdly, I think against Hull was possibly his worst performance in an Ipswich Town shirt. He misplaced so many passes and his first touch was dreadful, but he was the one who popped up with the header to break the scoring, so if he can produce moments like that and the two free kicks he scored against QPR, I think, yeah, he's already paid back the 10 million pound fee."

"I think he's definitely playing better in the number 10 role than he is in central midfield, or has done in central midfield, but with Jens [Cajuste] keeps getting injured, we may need him in there again."

"He's a quality player at this level and I think comparing him to kind of the other creative midfielders in the league, £10m is looking like an absolute bargain."

"It's hard to say whether Norwich are missing him or not, given just the poor state that they've been in general, but yes, it's something that's very good to see right now."

Ipswich Town's controversial Marcelino Nunez signing is becoming a valuable one

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome for Ipswich is finding a role that suits Nunez, as even by only being at Portman Road for a matter of months, he has shown his versatility in midfield, whether that is in a holding role or more advanced.

When with the Canaries, Nunez was often deployed deeper as a ball-playing midfielder, whereas Ipswich appear to be unlocking his strengths further forward. In that more advanced position, Nunez has been able to influence the game in an attacking sense by picking up the ball in pockets of space and unleashing his well-known qualities from range, as shown from his two free kicks against QPR.

It's evident to see the confidence in Nunez is only growing stronger with every game, and Norwich will surely regret letting him go due to their current league position.

From Ipswich’s perspective, the move is already proving worthwhile as he has delivered match-winning moments with his goals and creativity. It’s exactly what they needed, especially if they have plans on making an immediate return to the top-flight.

For a player adapting to a new system, under the weight of heavy expectations due to the controversy of the move, not to mention the transfer fee, Nunez is coming into his stride and if the upward curve of his performances continues, then Ipswich may view his signing as one of the smartest deals they’ve made in years.