McKenna is continuing to attract interest amid an excellent season at Portman Road.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Brighton and Hove Albion have taken an interest in Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna.
- McKenna has done a superb job at Portman Road.
- He is also linked with the Crystal Palace job.
Brighton and Hove Albion have taken an interest in Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna, according to The Sun.
The former Manchester United coach has done an excellent job during his time at Portman Road, succeeding Paul Cook who failed to capitalise on an excellent rebuild during the summer of 2021.
McKenna managed to get them into shape though and although they were unable to get themselves back to the Championship in McKenna’s first season, they secured automatic promotion at the end of last term.
Operating on a fairly limited budget during the previous window, the Tractor Boys weren’t expected to be in the promotion mix this season, but they remain in second place at this stage despite their recent wobble.
| Ipswich Town – 2023/24 Signings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Signed From | Loan/Permanent |
| Jack Taylor | Peterborough United | Permanent |
| George Hirst | Leicester City | Permanent |
| Cieran Slicker | Man City | Permanent |
| Brandon Williams | Man United | Loan |
| Dane Scarlett | Tottenham | Loan |
| Omari Hutchinson | Chelsea | Loan |
| Axel Tuanzebe | Man United | Permanent |
In with a chance of securing back-to-back promotions, Ipswich could end up being the victims of their own success with McKenna and some of their players likely to attract interest in the coming months, especially if they can continue their impressive push for top-flight football.
Clubs interested in Kieran McKenna
As mentioned above, Brighton are keeping tabs on McKenna at this point and although that may seem bizarre considering how well they are doing, the Seagulls may be planning ahead in case Roberto De Zerbi departs.
He won’t be dismissed anytime soon considering how they have evolved since he took over from Graham Potter – but there’s a chance he could potentially be lured away from the Amex Stadium.
It was a tough task for De Zerbi to follow on from Potter considering the fine job the ex-Chelsea boss did on the south coast, but the former has thrived during his first managerial spell in England.
McKenna could replace him, but their rivals Crystal Palace are also confirmed to be interested in the 37-year-old and he may be required in the short term, with Roy Hodgson struggling at Selhurst Park currently.
Both teams would need to pay around £4m to lure Ipswich’s boss away from Portman Road, but this is a compensation fee that hasn’t persuaded either club to drop their interest in him.
Kieran McKenna must continue focusing on Ipswich Town for now
If McKenna gets distracted by speculation, that will only go on to harm his managerial performance levels.
And at a delicate stage of the season when the Tractor Boys haven’t secured the best results in recent times, that could be fatal for their promotion hopes.
What McKenna needs to do is focus on his current side and not be distracted by these links.
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