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Kieran McKenna confirmed earlier this month that he would be leaving Ipswich Town after four and a half years in charge.
The 40-year-old guided Ipswich to back-to-back promotions in his first two full seasons, although the club were relegated from the Premier League in 2024-25 before bouncing back with automatic promotion last term.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær, under whom McKenna worked as a first-team coach during his spell at Manchester United, was among those considered as a potential replacement.
Former Liverpool coach Gary O’Neil also quickly emerged as a leading contender for the role following McKenna’s departure.
According to talkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs, Ipswich Town are set to appoint O’Neil as their new head coach. Jacobs posted on X: “Ipswich Town set to appoint Gary O’Neil as their new head coach following the departure of Kieran McKenna. An agreement is in place with Strasbourg. Talks at an advanced stage on personal terms.”
Ipswich Town’s talks with BlueCo, which owns Strasbourg and Chelsea, have been positive, with Gary O’Neil expected to bring close associates Tim Jenkins and Neil Critchley with him from the French club.
O’Neil has built a strong reputation in coaching circles following spells at Bournemouth, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Strasbourg. He was appointed Strasbourg head coach in January, succeeding Liam Rosenior after his move to Chelsea.
Under O’Neil, Strasbourg finished eighth in Ligue 1, narrowly missing out on European qualification, and reached the semi-finals of both the Coupe de France and the Conference League, where they were eliminated by Nice and Rayo Vallecano, respectively.
He was previously sacked by Wolves in December 2024, with the club 19th in the Premier League. He also had a short spell at Bournemouth in 2022-23, guiding them to Premier League survival before being replaced by Andoni Iraola.
O’Neil also held talks over a possible return to Wolves in late 2025 but ultimately withdrew from the process before Rob Edwards was appointed.
O’Neil previously worked within Liverpool’s academy setup, serving as U23 assistant coach under Barry Lewtas before leaving the role in 2021.