- City could inflict a blow on Ipswich Town’s hopes of automatic promotion.
- Marcelino Nunez left Norwich to sign for the Tractor Boys last summer.
- Nunez’s teammate who would be the perfect fit for a Philippe Clement team.
Whether anyone likes it or not, Marcelino Nunez’s name is going to be mentioned an awful lot this week with Norwich City facing Ipswich Town this weekend.
“He’s in your head”, the fans of the away side will sing, and who can blame them? The Chilean caused mass outrage and upset when he left Carrow Road to sign for them last summer.
It would be weird if Norwich fans were completely unbothered by such a move, particularly given the relative success he had when he was available to play in Norfolk.
Despite the fact that it was a blow to lose him at the time, I would not re-sign Nunez to fit this current squad, because Pelle Mattsson is a better fit with his physicality in central midfield.
Where Norwich most need to strengthen their squad
Rather than central midfield, the area of the squad that Norwich need to do the most work is in the wide areas.
Ali Ahmed is the only natural wide player who is available to play for the Canaries at the moment, because Papa Diallo and Matej Jurasek have struggled with injuries and fitness throughout the season.
Philippe Clement has had to play the likes of Paris Maghoma, Oscar Schwartau, and even Kenny McLean out wide because of his lack of options.
As Ahmed only joined in the January transfer window, no Norwich winger has scored more than four goals or provided more than three assists in the Championship so far.
The one Ipswich star I would sign for Norwich
Norwich and Ipswich have both had issues on the right side of their attacks in the Championship this season, as none of the right wingers for the Tractor Boys have scored more than four league goals.
That is why the one Blues star I would sign for Norwich is left-sided attacker Jack Clarke, who is one of the best forwards in the division.
Only Haji Wright (15) and Zan Vipotnik (20) have scored more goals in the Championship than the former Sunderland winger (14) this season.
| 25/26 Championship | Jack Clarke |
| Appearances | 38 |
| Minutes Played | 2,129 |
| Goals | 14 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 9.41 |
| Shots (Total) | 49 |
| Shots on Target | 21 |
| Chances Created | 51 |
| Successful Dribbles | 50 |
| Average Rating (FotMob) | 7.13 |
ReadNorwich put Clarke on the left wing in our East Anglian combined XI, ahead of Ahmed, because of the quality that he has provided at the top end of the pitch for Ipswich.
Jack Stacey against the Tractor Boys star could be the key battle between the two sides at Carrow Road, which is a concern given the attacker’s form.
Whilst Ahmed has been an excellent signing and looks set to be a key player next season for Norwich, the Canaries are still looking for their next superstar winger.
The next Emi Buendia or Borja Sainz. Someone who can go and get 20 goal contributions in a campaign and provide consistent quality.
Clarke is, unfortunately, that for Ipswich and someone who would be a terrific signing for Norwich, but is never likely to become the next Nunez.
