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Ipswich Town have confirmed the appointment of former Liverpool coach Gary O’Neil as manager. The 43-year-old joins from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg on a three-year deal until the summer of 2029.
O’Neil led Strasbourg to the Europa Conference League semi-finals last season and an eighth-place finish in Ligue 1, marking the club’s best-ever European run.
He previously managed Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, securing 15th and 14th-place finishes respectively and ensuring top-flight survival in both spells.
“It is an honour to be appointed Manager of this great football club,” O’Neil said. “I have followed the progress the club has made over the last few years closely and to now have the opportunity to lead Ipswich Town in the Premier League is something I am hugely excited by.
“There is a strong vision and ambition at this club and I am fully aware of the responsibility that brings, given how much it means to its supporters and to the community of Ipswich and Suffolk.
“We all know the challenge ahead as we prepare for the season together and I’m excited to meet everyone and get to work.”
Chairman Mark Ashton added: “I am delighted to be able to welcome Gary to Ipswich Town. He is a manager who has been on our radar for some time and, following a thorough and robust process, during which we met with a wide range of candidates, it became clear he was the leading candidate for the position.
“He is highly motivated, highly regarded, has an incredible attention to detail and tactical knowledge and is an excellent coach with a real track record of improving players.
“Despite being just a few years into his managerial career, he has already shown he knows what is required to succeed in the Premier League at both Bournemouth and Wolves, while also leading Strasbourg to a European semi-final last season.
“He brings a hunger and desire to succeed at the top level of the game and, with the full support of everyone at the club, I am excited to see what we can achieve together.”
O’Neil is the 20th manager in Ipswich Town’s 90-year professional history. Ipswich Town have also officially confirmed that he will be joined at Portman Road by Tim Jenkins, former Liverpool U23s coach Neil Critchley, and Ed Ames.
They will all join the club’s backroom staff after previously working alongside O’Neil at Strasbourg. Neil Critchley moved to Liverpool in September 2013 to take charge of Liverpool’s U18s before progressing to the U23s ahead of the 2017–18 campaign.
He also led the first team for two matches, overseeing a Carabao Cup tie at Aston Villa and an FA Cup fourth-round replay against Shrewsbury Town at Anfield, guiding a youth-heavy side to a 1-0 win.
Critchley left Liverpool in 2020 after six-and-a-half years to become head coach at Blackpool. Gary O’Neil, meanwhile, briefly worked with Liverpool’s U23s as assistant manager under Barry Lewtas, before departing after six months to take up a senior role at Bournemouth in February 2021.