Ipswich Town’s sought-after manager Kieran McKenna is set to turn down a contract extension at Portman Road, according to reports.
The 38-year-old has been linked with the vacancies at Chelsea and Brighton and potentially even former club Manchester United, should they part ways with Erik ten Haag.
Despite overseeing a return to the Premier League after a 22-year absence, BBC Sport report McKenna will resist attempts later this week by the Tractor Boys to extend his current contract – which he only signed a year ago and runs until 2027.
McKenna has guided Ipswich to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League and his stock, along with that of his assistant Martyn Pert, has never been higher.
Under the terms of his contract any team wanting to appoint McKenna will need to pay at least £4m in compensation.
McKenna was born in London but was raised in Northern Ireland and had a promising youth career, representing Northern Ireland at under-19 and under-21 level and spending seven years in the youth ranks at Tottenham before he was forced to retire from playing aged 22 due to a chronic hip injury.
Congratulations to @IpswichTown manager Kieran McKenna for winning the Sir Alex Ferguson Trophy and becoming the LMA Manager of the Year.#LMAAnnualAwards | @SkySports pic.twitter.com/5381DC0xyo
— LMA (@LMA_Managers) May 21, 2024
Spurs gave McKenna the chance to start his coaching journey while undergoing a sports science degree at Loughborough, and upon graduation he was hired by Tottenham as their head of Academy Performance Analysis before coaching youth teams up to the under-18s.
He moved to Manchester United in 2016 and after a successful spell in charge of the under-18s was appointed along with Michael Carrick to Jose Mourinho’s coaching staff, a role he maintained under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick before leaving Old Trafford in December 2021 to take charge of Ipswich.
He was named LMA Manager of the Year and Championship Manager of the Year in London on Tuesday.
