Gary O'Neil close to becoming Ipswich head coach after McKenna exit

Ipswich Town’s search for Kieran McKenna’s successor has become a much bigger question than a routine managerial change. Gary O’Neil is close to being appointed head coach, and the choice would say as much about Ipswich’s ambitions after promotion as it does about the next man in the dugout.

McKenna resigned on 10 June 2026 after five seasons in charge, saying he was stepping away from football management. His exit ended a remarkable spell in which Ipswich won three promotions in four years and reached the Premier League twice. The club had just finished second in the Championship with 84 points, securing automatic promotion on the final day and returning immediately after relegation in the 2024/25 season.

That backdrop gives Ipswich’s decision real weight. This is not merely a case of replacing a departing manager with a familiar face. The club must decide whether to lean into continuity after McKenna’s rapid rise, or whether the next step requires a more direct Premier League operator capable of steadying a side that has moved through the divisions at pace. O’Neil’s profile points strongly toward the latter. He has emerged as Ipswich’s No 1 target ahead of Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Carlos Corberán, with reports saying he is the leading candidate and close to taking over.

O’Neil is currently coach of Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace, having taken the role in January 2026 after leaving Wolverhampton Wanderers. Strasbourg said he arrived with experience of 88 Premier League matches and more than 500 professional games in England, a record that underlines why Ipswich have turned to him so quickly. He has also managed AFC Bournemouth and Wolves, giving him recent top-flight experience at a time when Ipswich need to make their return stick.

For Ipswich, the appointment would amount to a referendum on the next phase of the project. McKenna’s era was built on rapid ascent, momentum and a clear identity. O’Neil would represent something different: a coach shaped by Premier League survival, immediate pressure and the need to stabilize fast. With Portman Road back in the top flight, Ipswich’s next decision will define whether the club sees itself as a team continuing an upward climb or as one now fighting to establish a foothold before the drop zone closes in again.