Ipswich Town Set to Appoint Gary O’Neil as Head Coach
Ipswich Town are closing on Gary O’Neil as their next head coach, moving quickly to replace Kieran McKenna after the Northern Irishman’s shock decision to walk away from Portman Road.
The 43-year-old O’Neil is poised to take the reins, with only compensation to be finalised with his current club Strasbourg. Those talks are not expected to derail the move, and there is growing confidence in Suffolk that the deal will be completed.
From Strasbourg surge to Portman Road project
Ipswich have tracked O’Neil for some time. Their interest surfaced earlier this month and never really cooled, even as other names were floated and sounded out. Inside the club, admiration for the Englishman’s work has been consistent rather than sudden.
In France, O’Neil has rebuilt his reputation. Strasbourg finished eighth in Ligue 1 last season and surged into the Europa Conference League semi-finals, where they fell to Rayo Vallecano. It was a landmark run: the first time the club had ever reached the last four of a European competition.
That European adventure, coupled with a strong domestic campaign, had left Strasbourg confident they could keep him, especially after his arrival only in January. But the pull of a Premier League return has proved too strong. When he walks back into English football, it will be his first job in the top flight since leaving Wolves in December 2024.
O’Neil will not be coming alone. Tim Jenkins and Neil Critchley, who have been part of his staff in France, are also expected to join him at Portman Road, giving Ipswich a ready-made backroom team shaped in his image.
There is also a familiar face waiting for him in the boardroom. O’Neil played for Bristol City during the period when Mark Ashton, now Ipswich’s chief executive, held the same position at Ashton Gate. That prior relationship has helped smooth the path, aligning football vision with personal trust at a crucial moment for the club.
Solskjaer considered as Ipswich weigh their future
The search for McKenna’s successor has not been narrow. Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in the frame this week, reflecting the scale of Ipswich’s ambition as they prepare for life back in the Premier League.
Yet as the process developed, O’Neil’s profile – tactically sharp, battle-tested in the English top flight, and fresh from European success – increasingly matched what Ipswich wanted. A coach capable of handling the jump in level without losing the identity and momentum McKenna built.
McKenna exits on a high
McKenna’s departure still hangs in the air around Portman Road. The 40-year-old transformed Ipswich after taking charge in 2021, engineering a remarkable rise: three promotions in four seasons, two of them lifting the club back into the Premier League.
Last season’s second-place finish in the Championship restored Ipswich to the top flight and revived a fanbase that had grown used to frustration and drift. Under McKenna, Portman Road became a place of noise, belief, and attacking football.
Then he walked away.
Linked with Fulham after Marco Silva’s exit, McKenna instead chose to step aside and take a break from the game to spend more time with his family. He left with a message that underlined both his attachment to the club and his sense of timing.
“I feel this is the right time for me to step aside,” he said. “I do so with great pride at the incredible progress we have made and with huge hope and optimism for the future of the club.”
Ipswich must now turn that optimism into something concrete in the unforgiving landscape of the Premier League. If, as expected, Gary O’Neil is the man they entrust with that task, he will inherit a club on the rise, a fanbase reawakened, and a challenge that could define the next phase of his career.
