29-08-2025, 16:13
Ipswich Town have signed Darnell Furlong from West Bromwich Albion in a deal worth £4m and also brought in striker Ivan Azon on a season-long loan from Italian club Como.
Right-back Furlong, 29, spent the past six years at The Hawthorns and has started every Championship game this season for the unbeaten Baggies.
The long-throw specialist was Albion's longest-serving player after the retirement of Kyle Bartley.
Ipswich have further strengthened a defence already bolstered by the arrival of veteran Ashley Young from Everton on a free transfer in the summer.
Furlong, who has signed a deal until 2028, adds to a lengthy list of ex-West Brom players at Portman Road, joining Alex Palmer, Conor Townsend, Cedric Kipre, Dara O'Shea and David Button.
"It's a real privilege to be here," Furlong told the Ipswich Town website., external
"I've had a look around and I'm really excited and intrigued by the ambition of the club, which is the main reason I wanted to come here.
"I'm looking forward to a new challenge and to kicking on and I can't wait to get started. Ipswich is a club sending out a real signal of intent and to be a part of that is exciting."
Spaniard Azon, 22, joined Como in January from Real Zaragoza.
"It feels amazing to join the club," he said.
"I feel proud and grateful to be here in Ipswich. It's a big club with a really big history and I want to work hard and help the team, making the fans proud."
Ipswich Town have completed the signing of midfielder Marcelino Nunez from East Anglia rivals Norwich City for a reported £10m.
The Chile international spent three years at Carrow Road, making 119 appearances, the last in a 2-1 win at Portsmouth on 16 August, a game in which he had to go off with an ankle injury.
He is the first player to move from Norwich to Ipswich - who are both in the Championship this season - since goalkeeper Andy Marshall in 2001 and has agreed a four-year contract.
Explaining the decision to sell, Norwich sporting director Ben Knapper said that taking everything into consideration, they believed the deal was in the "best interests" of the club.
"It goes without saying, this is a significant transfer for all parties involved. We absolutely understand the feeling and sentiment from our supporters at this time, and this was of course an extremely difficult decision for us to take," he added.
"We are committed to making what we feel are the best possible decisions for our football club, assessing all factors in the round, in both the short, medium and long term.
"Of the possible scenarios and outcomes that this situation has presented, we believe this is the one that leaves the club in the best position."
Nunez's contract with Norwich was due to expire at the end of the current season, when he could have left for nothing.
He scored the winning goal in the most recent East Anglian derby in April 2024 and former keeper Marshall - who made the same move - has warned he can expect a tough reception from Canaries fans in future.
The two teams will meet for the first time this season in a 12:00 kick-off at Ipswich's Portman Road ground on Sunday 5 October.
And the Tractor Boys may look to him to fill the midfield fulcrum role previously held by Sam Morsy, who led them to back-to-back promotions in 2023 and 2024 but left for Kuwait SC in July.
The signing of Nunez follows Thursday's arrivals of West Brom full-back Darnell Furlong and striker Ivan Azon, on loan from Italian club Como.
Direct moves between two rivals rare
Apart from Marshall, instances of high-profile players moving directly between the two East Anglian rivals have been comparatively rare over the years.
Winger Clive Woods was a member of Bobby Robson's highly successful Ipswich team that won the FA Cup in 1978, making over 260 appearances before moving to their Norfolk rivals two years later.
John Deehan was a free-scoring striker for Norwich in the early 1980s, contributing 70 goals for the club, but then moved to Ipswich in an exchange deal which also involved midfielder Trevor Putney.
More recently, midfielder Liam Gibbs played one league game for Ipswich before joining Norwich for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2021.
Others to have played for both clubs, albeit not consecutively, include striker Keith Bertschin, goalkeeper Clive Baker and winger Louie Donowa.
Former England centre-forward Joe Royle played for Norwich from 1980-82 before becoming Ipswich manager 20 years later, while ex-Scotland midfielder Paul Lambert had spells in charge of both clubs.
Right-back Furlong, 29, spent the past six years at The Hawthorns and has started every Championship game this season for the unbeaten Baggies.
The long-throw specialist was Albion's longest-serving player after the retirement of Kyle Bartley.
Ipswich have further strengthened a defence already bolstered by the arrival of veteran Ashley Young from Everton on a free transfer in the summer.
Furlong, who has signed a deal until 2028, adds to a lengthy list of ex-West Brom players at Portman Road, joining Alex Palmer, Conor Townsend, Cedric Kipre, Dara O'Shea and David Button.
"It's a real privilege to be here," Furlong told the Ipswich Town website., external
"I've had a look around and I'm really excited and intrigued by the ambition of the club, which is the main reason I wanted to come here.
"I'm looking forward to a new challenge and to kicking on and I can't wait to get started. Ipswich is a club sending out a real signal of intent and to be a part of that is exciting."
Spaniard Azon, 22, joined Como in January from Real Zaragoza.
"It feels amazing to join the club," he said.
"I feel proud and grateful to be here in Ipswich. It's a big club with a really big history and I want to work hard and help the team, making the fans proud."
Ipswich Town have completed the signing of midfielder Marcelino Nunez from East Anglia rivals Norwich City for a reported £10m.
The Chile international spent three years at Carrow Road, making 119 appearances, the last in a 2-1 win at Portsmouth on 16 August, a game in which he had to go off with an ankle injury.
He is the first player to move from Norwich to Ipswich - who are both in the Championship this season - since goalkeeper Andy Marshall in 2001 and has agreed a four-year contract.
Explaining the decision to sell, Norwich sporting director Ben Knapper said that taking everything into consideration, they believed the deal was in the "best interests" of the club.
"It goes without saying, this is a significant transfer for all parties involved. We absolutely understand the feeling and sentiment from our supporters at this time, and this was of course an extremely difficult decision for us to take," he added.
"We are committed to making what we feel are the best possible decisions for our football club, assessing all factors in the round, in both the short, medium and long term.
"Of the possible scenarios and outcomes that this situation has presented, we believe this is the one that leaves the club in the best position."
Nunez's contract with Norwich was due to expire at the end of the current season, when he could have left for nothing.
He scored the winning goal in the most recent East Anglian derby in April 2024 and former keeper Marshall - who made the same move - has warned he can expect a tough reception from Canaries fans in future.
The two teams will meet for the first time this season in a 12:00 kick-off at Ipswich's Portman Road ground on Sunday 5 October.
And the Tractor Boys may look to him to fill the midfield fulcrum role previously held by Sam Morsy, who led them to back-to-back promotions in 2023 and 2024 but left for Kuwait SC in July.
The signing of Nunez follows Thursday's arrivals of West Brom full-back Darnell Furlong and striker Ivan Azon, on loan from Italian club Como.
Direct moves between two rivals rare
Apart from Marshall, instances of high-profile players moving directly between the two East Anglian rivals have been comparatively rare over the years.
Winger Clive Woods was a member of Bobby Robson's highly successful Ipswich team that won the FA Cup in 1978, making over 260 appearances before moving to their Norfolk rivals two years later.
John Deehan was a free-scoring striker for Norwich in the early 1980s, contributing 70 goals for the club, but then moved to Ipswich in an exchange deal which also involved midfielder Trevor Putney.
More recently, midfielder Liam Gibbs played one league game for Ipswich before joining Norwich for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2021.
Others to have played for both clubs, albeit not consecutively, include striker Keith Bertschin, goalkeeper Clive Baker and winger Louie Donowa.
Former England centre-forward Joe Royle played for Norwich from 1980-82 before becoming Ipswich manager 20 years later, while ex-Scotland midfielder Paul Lambert had spells in charge of both clubs.
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