Ipswich Town is about to appoint Gary O'Neil as new coach
Ipswich Town are close to appointing Gary O'Neil as new manager following Kieran McKenna's resignation, with compensation details being finalized with his current club, Strasbourg.
Ipswich Town is getting closer to officially appointing Gary O'Neil as the team's new coach. The 43-year-old coach is expected to replace Kieran McKenna, who resigned from his coaching position at Portman Road earlier this month. Compensation arrangements with O'Neil's current club, Strasbourg, are still being finalised, but are not expected to prove too difficult for Ipswich. Tim Jenkins and Neil Critchley are also expected to join O'Neil in Suffolk, who worked with him in France. Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has also been considered for the position. BBC Sport reported Ipswich's interest in O'Neil earlier this month, and the Strasbourg boss has long been highly rated by the club's board. His French club finished eighth in Ligue 1 last season and reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, where they lost to Rayo Vallecano. This is the first time Strasbourg has achieved the achievement of reaching the fourth round of a European tournament. O'Neil played for Bristol City when current Ipswich chief executive Mark Ashton held the same role at Ashton Gate. Strasbourg were initially confident of keeping O'Neil after his arrival in January, but he will now return to the Premier League for the first time since leaving Wolves in December 2024. Ipswich are looking for a new manager after McKenna resigned last week, despite guiding them back to the top flight by finishing second in the Championship last season. The 40-year-old coach has been at the helm of Ipswich since 2021 and has led the team to three promotions in the last four seasons, two of which took the club into the Premier League. McKenna was linked with the Fulham job following Marco Silva's departure, but has decided to leave Ipswich to rest and spend more time with his family. "I feel like this is the right time for me to step down," he said. "I do this with great pride in the incredible progress we have made and with great hope and optimism for the future of the club." Ipswich will begin their new Premier League campaign at home against Sunderland on August 22.
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