Ipswich Town have been shaken by the news that Kieran McKenna has resigned as the club’s head coach ahead of the start of pre-season in preparation for a return to the Premier League.
The Northern Irish manager led the Tractor Boys to automatic promotion to the top flight for the second time, finishing second again, but he will not be in charge of the side in the 2026/27 season.
He has decided to take some time off from the game to spend time with his family and has no intention of returning to management immediately, despite initial reactions from supporters suggesting he will remain at Fulham.
McKenna has led Ipswich to 139 wins from 276 games across League One, the Championship and the Premier League, and deserves much of the credit for his achievements.
Ultimately, the 4-2-3-1 tactician joined the club in League One and remained in the Premier League side, which speaks to the huge impact he had at Suffolk.
Ipswich considering Champions League manager position
One manager who has already been named for the vacant post is Strasbourg manager Gary O’Neill, who previously managed Bournemouth and Wolves in the Premier League.
However, he was eventually released by both England teams due to his poor form, and after his departure both teams improved, although Wolves did not in the long term.
According to the Daily Mail, Mr O’Neill is one of the leading candidates to replace Mr McKenna and Ipswich Town are considering him as a possible replacement for Mr McKenna.
However, the report also claims that the Tractor Boys are considering a move to lure Bodo/Glimt head coach Ketil Knudsen to Portman Road this summer.
Mark Ashton needs to convince the Norwegian national team manager to give up his chance of managing the Champions League next season after leading the Eliteserien team to the knockout stages this season.
However, it remains to be seen whether the Ipswich chairman would be keen to sign Knudsen rather than O’Neill, as he recently said he would be “proud” to give the English manager his first chance in the game.
Why Ipswich should hire Ketil Knudsen over Gary O’Neill
Ashton should push for the Bodø/Glimt tactician to be appointed ahead of the England manager. Because he could be a much better appointment for the club both in the short and long term.
At face value, O’Neill has kept Bournemouth and Wolves in the Premier League. However, his Cherries team were at the bottom of the xG table, suggesting they were lucky to retain their place, and he was sacked by Wolves after losing 29 of 54 league games.
The Strasbourg boss has never finished higher than eighth in a season as a manager, never finished higher than 14th in a full season, and has yet to win a trophy in his career, but Knudsen is a proven winner.
The Bodo/Glimt boss has won four of Eliteserien’s last six titles. This may not seem like a feat, but it comes as no surprise considering Bodo/Glimt had never won the top flight before leading the team to the title in the 2020 season.
Knudsen, whose playing style was described by former captain Bodo/Grimt Ulrik Sartnes as ‘kamikaze’, has a high ceiling as a manager as he knows how to dominate and set up his team to compete at the top.
Sunderland’s seventh-place finish this season shows what newly promoted clubs can achieve when they set their sights on simply staying in the league.
However, Knudsen led Bodo/Glimt to victories over Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, and Sporting in the Champions League, so he is not a one-dimensional manager who can only manage overwhelming teams.
The 4-3-3 manager led Bodø/Glimt in European competition for many years, winning 44 of 87 games and taking them to the round of 16 of the Champions League, the semi-finals of the Europa League and the quarter-finals of the Conference League.
His track record in Europe shows he can deliver against higher-class opponents and that is exactly what Ipswich will need to do in the Premier League as a newly promoted side.
Knudsen would therefore be a much better appointment for the Tractor Boys than O’Neill, as he has shown qualities and adaptability as a coach, rather than being a relegation specialist who relies on points.
Ipswich can forget about O’Neill by hiring former Spurs manager to replace McKenna
Ipswich Town could hire a former Premier League candidate as they search for their next manager following the departure of Kieran McKenna.
