The Tractor Boys boss has become hot property recently.Kieran McKenna has been the mastermind of Ipswich Town’s impressive rise and shows no signs of slowing down.
The former Manchester United manager brought good times back to Portman Road after a long period of turmoil, notably winning promotion from League One on a record 28 wins, 98 points and finishing second. second behind Steven Schumacher’s Plymouth Argyle.
Ipswich’s attacking drive has rocketed into the third row by scoring an unprecedented 101 goals and they have faced none of the potential initial difficulties in translating that footy style into the Championship.
At the time of writing, Ipswich sit second in the table during the international break having won four of their opening five matches and no team has managed to surpass their 11 goals.
Of course, it may still be early days, but all signs suggest that Ipswich are well-placed for continued success and the Town faithful are dreaming of a return to the Premier League in the 2024/25 campaign . Naturally, it all comes down to McKenna and it’s no surprise he’s attracted interest from elsewhere.
As doubts emerged over Stephen Kenny’s future amid poor form, The Independent reported that the Republic of Ireland were running the Ipswich boss, sparking a reaction from pundit Carlton Palmer.
What did Carlton Palmer say about Kieran McKenna?
While the lure of international football can often prove attractive, Palmer believes the current rise at Suffolk will keep McKenna away for the time being.
He told FLW exclusively:
“There is a lot of speculation surrounding Stephen Kenny’s future as Republic of Ireland coach. “With just three points from five games – three European qualifiers – he is under increasing pressure.
“A lot of people have commented that he has done very well in difficult circumstances with the players he has available, but a number of names have been linked with the position and one of them is Kieran McKenna of Ipswich Town.
“Ipswich are second in the Championship after being promoted from League One, Kieran will now certainly be mentioned for any management position available due to the great job he is doing with Ipswich.
“Their style of play is exciting and open, Ipswich will always be concerned about their manager’s future given the success he has brought to the football club, but hope for support from the owner ownership and the chance to ensure Ipswich’s back-to-back promotions that would take them to the Premier League would be more attractive.
“You know, if he can get promoted continuously then of course his stock will rise even more.”
Should Ipswich Town be worried about Kieran McKenna leaving? As Palmer implies, Ipswich naturally have every reason to be sweaty about McKenna’s future simply because of the success he has achieved and continues to deliver despite the additional trials and tribulations in the second tier .
But he seems to be a coach very invested in the project he is working on, so the chance of leaving at such an early stage of the season seems fortunately for naught.
That said, Palmer makes a good point that McKenna will certainly be even more coveted if he takes Ipswich back to the promised land, although that in itself may tempt the increasingly capable manager. tendency to stay.
The interest won’t go away, but it looks like McKenna will be firmly at Ipswich for the long term.
