On loan Argentinian Sixto Peralta says he wants to stay at Portman Road beyond the end of the season. Town have an option to buy the Inter Milan man with the figure of £2.5 million having been mentioned in the past.

Peralta says he's starting to feel at home in Ipswich, despite it being very different from his home in Argentina or Milan: "Here it is so different from Argentina, different from Italy, too, the entire life is so strange. The time to eat, to sleep, to train, the kind of house and the food, it's not a different planet but almost. Before I came here I knew that everything would be different, so I prepared for it, but you can't be completely ready. In my first week here, I went to a restaurant at about 10.30pm, which is the time we eat in Argentina and Italy. I am in this restaurant in Ipswich and they say 'No, you can't eat here at this hour'. But you learn. I always had a siesta before, because in a hot country you need it. You know what? I have one here, too, right after training. I don't know, do other people in England do that? They don't? Oh."

The 23-year-old says he has always had to travel, moving from his home when he was still quite young: "I have always had to travel to change. I come from a small town in Patagonia and it was very difficult to play football there because there is no big club. So I had to go to Buenos Aires when I was 15, just to play at a good level. OK, except Buenos Aires is 2,000 km from my home town. I can say that, for me, it was more difficult to go from Comodoro to Buenos Aires than it has been leaving my country to play in Italy or England."

Although he currently lives on his own his girlfriend of five years will join him soon. Friends and family from back home have visited him since he's been at Town.

It seems the big city life is not for our Sixto who has become a hit with Town supporters, particularly since the run over over Christmas. He says he was unimpressed with London when he took a recent trip: "I was in London yesterday. Too many people! I like Ipswich better, I want to stay here, I really hope the club will keep me."

If Town do decide to bring him to Portman Road permanently there will be few supporters disappointed with the decision. Peralta's start has been so promising that he could well end up matching the popularity of another Argentinian import.

Photo: Action Images

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