Forget Marcelino Nunez: "I always admired" Norwich City legend from an Ipswich Town point of view | OneFootball

Ipswich Town's FLW Fan Pundit admits that he would have taken Norwich City legend Wes Hoolahan at Portman Road.

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...

Over the summer, Ipswich Town brought in several new additions, but the most controversial signing of the lot was Chilean midfielder Marcelino Nunez, who arrived from arch-rivals Norwich City.

It has been a frustrating start to the campaign for the Tractor Boys, following their relegation from the Premier League last season, but the 25-year-old has still managed to stir the pot with some comments made after the move, as well as his celebrations in the aftermath of Ipswich’s recent 3-1 defeat of Norwich in the East Anglian Derby a few weeks ago.

Kieran McKenna’s 4-2-3-1 system relies upon the so-called ‘number ten’ position being filled with an extremely intelligent and technically gifted player, and one man that Ipswich supporters would have loved to see cross the divide from Norfolk to Suffolk was Norwich’s superb former attacking midfielder, Wes Hoolahan.

Ipswich Town would have loved to have Wes Hoolahan

The rivalry between Norwich and Ipswich is a fierce one, and that is why it is so rare and unusual for transfers such as Marcelino Nunez to happen.

Supporters of either side would always be reluctant to welcome someone who had played for their arch-rivals into the club but FLW’s Ipswich Fan Pundit Adam Wilkin has admitted that Wes Hoolahan would have been a brilliant player to have at Portman Road: “A Norwich player that I wish could have played for Town? To be honest, I don’t think there is that many.

“If you push past the fact that you have to see a former Canary in a Blues shirt then I’d have to say Wes Hoolahan.

“His ball control and his ability to see the game and to see passes and create stuff was something I always admired. He was probably the one player from the Norwich side that I was envious of.

“His creative ability and just his touch and reading the game perhaps reminded me a little bit of Jim Magilton, but someone who played a little further forward.”

Wes Hoolahan was a genius for Norwich City

Dublin-born Hoolahan began his professional career with Shelbourne before moving to Livingston and then on to Blackpool on an initial loan deal in 2006, finishing the season by helping the Seasiders win the League One play-offs.

After a couple of years at Bloomfield Road, the creative midfielder moved south to Carrow Road, and he went on to make over 350 appearances for the Canaries, helping them gain promotion from League One as well as was from the Championship on two occasions.

After Norwich, Hoolahan went from West Bromwich Albion to the Newcastle Jets before then having another remarkable impact in the EFL, helping Cambridge United gain League Two promotion in 2021 at the age of 38.

With 43 Ireland caps to his name, including a stellar moment as he scored against Sweden at UEFA EURO 2016, Hoolahan enjoyed a magnificent career and his technical ability and the way in which he played the game had even Ipswich supporters marvelling.