Ipswich Town were left stunned after Kieran McKenna made the shock decision to step down as head coach just before their Premier League return.
The ex-Manchester United coach guided the Tractor Boys to a second-place Championship finish last season, securing automatic promotion to English football’s top tier. However, Ipswich were relegated under McKenna during the 2024/25 campaign, alongside Leicester City and Southampton—though they were the only one of the three to bounce back immediately. Now, they face a top-flight return without the man who got them there, and a replacement has yet to be named.
Among the candidates linked with the vacancy, Strasbourg boss Gary O’Neil is reportedly the current frontrunner.
Why Ipswich should steer clear of Gary O’Neil
The Tractor Boys would be wise to avoid appointing the former Norwich City midfielder, as the underlying statistics from his Premier League tenures raise serious concerns. On paper, keeping both Bournemouth and Wolves up in his debut seasons seems impressive, yet both clubs dismissed him before he could finish a second year.
At both sides, the quality of his squads appeared to bail him out, with his teams consistently overperforming their expected metrics—a trend backed up by the fact that his successors went on to secure higher league finishes.
O’Neil was eventually sacked by Wolves after losing 11 of his opening 16 matches in the 2024/25 season, a downturn that many saw coming given the poor data underpinning his previous sides.
For that reason, Ipswich should look elsewhere and avoid a coach who may struggle to set the team up effectively at Premier League level.
The better alternative for Ipswich
Given the club’s interest in Premier League experience—hence the O’Neil link—it’s no surprise they’re also reportedly eyeing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Norwegian, who worked alongside McKenna at Manchester United, boasts extensive Premier League pedigree as both a player and manager at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer took the United reins initially as caretaker in the 2018/19 season and remained in post until 12 games into the 2021/22 campaign. He secured top-three finishes in both full seasons at the helm, and it wasn’t until the 2025/26 season that United returned to that position after his departure.
Praised as “underappreciated” by Harry Maguire and an “outstanding human” by Cristiano Ronaldo—who played under him in 2021/22—the 54-year-old clearly commanded respect from senior players. Ipswich could greatly benefit from such a presence in the dugout during a relegation battle, where player buy-in and fight will be essential.
Solskjaer also guided Besiktas to fourth in his only full season there, and led Molde to back-to-back second-place finishes in 2017 and 2018 before his United move. He’s a coach accustomed to winning regularly and unlikely to settle for mere survival—an attitude that could give Ipswich an edge, much like Regis Le Bris provided Sunderland during their push for Europe.
Rather than scraping 17th, the Norwegian could inspire the team to not only stay up but aim higher in the Premier League—making him a far more compelling choice than O’Neil as McKenna’s successor.
