Marcelino Nunez sits in the quiet of an empty Portman Road, aware a very different scene awaits him across the Suffolk–Norfolk border on Saturday. The man who moved the other way is preparing for a hot reception at Carrow Road.
Nunez became the first player to move from Norwich to Ipswich since Andy Marshall in 2001 when he completed his £10m switch in August. A few weeks earlier, having scored the goal that settled a previous East Anglian derby for Norwich, he played a key role in Ipswich’s first win over their rivals in 16 years, setting up the third goal in a 3-1 victory.
“That was an important challenge because Ipswich hadn’t beaten Norwich in so long and I had helped to extend that run even further,” he told Sky Sports. He celebrated passionately that day at Portman Road, waving a corner flag in front of the jubilant Ipswich fans after coming off the bench to set up Jack Clarke’s goal. “It was natural, it just came to me spontaneously. In South America, when you win a big derby you celebrate a lot and that South American side of me came out a bit. A derby has to be won and it has to be celebrated.”
The memory of that win adds extra spice to Saturday’s fixture, but Nunez says he is unfazed by the hostility expected at Carrow Road. The Chile international, who joined Norwich from Universidad Católica in 2022, believes his background has prepared him for intense atmospheres. “In South America the derbies, the clásicos, are more intense, with more pressure,” he said in Spanish. “And I think that works in my favour because I’ve played under pressure.”
He accepts there will be additional heat because of his transfer, but insists it motivates him. “When you step on the pitch, you forget all your problems and everything that’s happening outside. You have to focus on the game, carry out your task well and always be positive. The game is going to be emotional. It’s an important one for both sides in a derby that they say is the biggest in England. Our mentality, and my mentality, is to take three points and win.”
Ipswich’s promotion ambition was the key reason Nunez chose to join the Tractor Boys. Sitting a point behind Millwall with three games in hand, Ipswich are firmly in the hunt for the Championship’s top spots and the Premier League prize that comes with success. “I was very clear about my goal, which was to fight for the championship, so that’s why I made the decision to move to Ipswich,” he said. “The fans welcomed me incredibly well, even though I came from a rival, and overall I’m very happy with the team and with the manager. We are very united and also focused on our objective, which is to get promoted to the Premier League.”
His move was announced with a cheeky tap of the badge and a wink in Ipswich’s signing video — gestures that delighted his new supporters and angered many at his old club. Nunez says he harbours no ill will towards Norwich: “It was a very positive step in my career because they opened doors for me to play in Europe.” But he felt Ipswich, under Kieran McKenna, offered a stronger route to achieving his ambitions. “It wasn’t a very complicated decision because my mentality is to become a champion. With my previous team in Chile, I became a champion five times, and that’s my mindset, to win titles. It’s something coach McKenna had as well. He’s an excellent coach for me. I also saw that they had a lot of resources to establish themselves as a strong team and fight for promotion.”
Nunez has been influential this season when fit, contributing creativity, set-piece threat, goals and energy from the No 10 role. Ipswich’s record is markedly better with him in the starting XI: a 70 per cent win rate in the 20 games he has started this season, compared to 32 per cent in the 24 he has not. Nunez downplays the individual credit. “I am just a small piece of the puzzle. I think we are all important in the team, those who play and even those who are injured. Whether I play or I don’t play, I try to stay positive and help those who play and those who don’t, always transmitting something good.”
His output includes eight assists — among the Championship leaders — and three goals, two of which were free-kicks in a 4-1 win over QPR in November. A fact often noted about his play is his long-range prowess: Nunez’s total of 10 goals from outside the box is the joint-highest by any player in the Championship since the start of the 2022/23 season, level with Burnley’s Zian Flemming.
He credits McKenna for much of his form. “He is one of the best coaches I’ve had in my career up until now. He organises the training sessions incredibly well, he’s very intelligent, he knows how to keep the dressing room united, and he gives the players lots of confidence. He makes you feel calm, without any pressure. You just have to do what he asks of you. I try to prepare in the best way in training, in recovery, in terms of my diet as well. On a personal level, I’m relaxed.”
Ipswich’s push for the Premier League has brought Nunez close to fulfilling a childhood dream. “I always dreamt about it but I never imagined going to England would happen so quickly and being a step away from the Premier League. It’s something incredible that’s happening and it’s close, so we just have to focus on each match. Now it’s Norwich, and there’s extra pressure, but we’re motivated, and I’m motivated to take it step by step to achieve that, to play in the Premier League. We have the games in hand, so it’s up to us. What I see in the team is that it’s a very solid group. There are very good team-mates and the coach is one of the best I’ve had in my career. With the team we have, I think we will reach the Premier League. I want to experience that feeling.”
First, he must face the heat of Carrow Road and the derby that means so much to both sets of supporters. Watch Norwich vs Ipswich live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event on Saturday from 11am; kick-off 12.30pm.