Town boss Kieran McKenna admits he is delighted that Marcelino Núñez has chosen the Blues as the best destination to progress his career following the midfielder’s move from arch-rivals Norwich City.
Núñez completed his move to Suffolk on Friday after Town and the Canaries had agreed a fee of £7.5 million up front plus a further £2.5 million in potential add-ons.
"We’re happy to have him,” McKenna said. "It’s an area we felt we certainly needed to add to with the players that have left.
"A high-quality player, a lot of Championship experience, international experience and still at a good age. A really, really good footballer, plays through the pitch well, covers a lot of ground, a set play taker and scorer as we found a couple of seasons ago, so he definitely strengthens us in that department.”
Núñez, 25, is a full Chile international having been capped 31 times by his country, scoring five goals.
The midfielder, who scored the winning goal for the Canaries in the last East Anglian derby, has become the first permanent senior transfer between the sides for 24 years.
McKenna added: "He’s a strong-minded individual and he wants to make the move that he sees as best for his career, and we’re happy that he sees this as that best move.
"He’s from almost the other side of the Earth, he’s from Chile. Of course, local rivalries are massively important and players understand that as well, but he wants to make the move that he thinks is the best progression for his career.
"He’s at a good age, has some good years ahead of him, and we’re delighted that he sees this as the right club for that.”
McKenna added that Núñez should be available to feature for the Blues after the upcoming international break following a minor setback he picked up earlier this month.
"Hopefully after the international break,” McKenna said of his availability. "He’s not ready for tomorrow, he has a little ankle injury he picked up a couple of games ago, but he should be fine by the time that we come back from international duty and ready for those games.”
Asked if he could feature in October’s meeting with Norwich, McKenna said: "He should hopefully be fit for the Sheffield United game, so he’ll be well ahead of schedule for that.”