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Kieran McKenna has resigned as Ipswich Town manager just weeks after securing a return to the Premier League at the end of the 2025/26 season.
The 40-year-old joined the club in 2021 and led them to three promotions in four seasons, including two that lifted them into the top flight. Ipswich will compete in the 2026–27 Premier League season after finishing runners-up in the Championship.
McKenna had been linked with the Fulham job following Marco Silva’s departure, but ultimately stepped away from management to take a break from the game and spend more time with his family.
“I feel this is the right time for me to step aside,” he said. “I do so with great pride at the incredible progress we have made and with huge hope and optimism for the future of the club.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and former Liverpool coach Gary O’Neil are among the leading candidates for the Ipswich Town managerial job.
According to Sky Sports, the club have held talks with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gary O’Neil over the vacant managerial role at Portman Road, with both among a number of candidates under consideration.
McKenna previously worked as Solskjaer’s assistant at Manchester United, while the Norwegian has been out of management since leaving Besiktas in August 2025. Ipswich are aiming to appoint a new head coach before the end of the month.
O’Neil has long been admired by the club’s hierarchy, having previously worked with Ipswich chief executive Mark Ashton during his time at Bristol City.
O’Neil is currently in charge of Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, having replaced Liam Rosenior after he joined Chelsea last season.
The French club were confident of keeping the former Wolves head coach, who joined them in January, but he remains a contender for the Ipswich role.
O’Neil previously worked in Liverpool’s academy setup, serving as U23 assistant coach under Barry Lewtas from 2020 until his departure in 2021.
As a player, he enjoyed a near 20-year career, playing for the likes of Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, West Ham United, Norwich City and Bolton Wanderers.