Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna is reportedly on Crystal Palace’s list of summer managerial targets.
Crystal Palace are considering a summer move for Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna, according to journalist Alan Nixon.
Crystal Palace are considering a summer move for Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna, according to journalist Alan Nixon.
After keeping the Eagles in the Premier League last season, Roy Hodgson agreed to stay on at Selhurst Park this summer, but the 76-year-old is widely to expect to depart the club at the end of the campaign.
Nixon claims that Palace are “already working on a plan for when the veteran boss leaves for the last time”, and McKenna is on their list of targets.
McKenna has done an outstanding job since his arrival at Portman Road in December 2021, leading the Tractor Boys to promotion from League One last season.
Ipswich have adapted seamlessly to life back in the Championship, and they currently sit in the automatic promotion places after picking up 22 points from their first nine league games.
McKenna is not the only name on Palace’s radar, with the Eagles said to be weighing up a move for Lille manager Paulo Fonseca.
Fonseca, who has previously managed the likes of Roma, Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk, is reportedly keen to manage in the Premier League, and he is said to have been under consideration by Palace two years ago before the appointment of Patrick Vieira.
What is the latest on Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town future?
It could be tough for the Eagles to convince McKenna to depart Portman Road, with the 37-year-old having signed a new four-year contract to keep him in Suffolk until 2027 in June.
The Northern Irishman has previously been linked with Leicester City, Celtic and the Republic of Ireland national team job, and Ipswich chief executive Mark Ashton revealed that there had been interest in McKenna prior to him committing his future to the club this summer.
McKenna has revealed his ambitions to manage at the highest level one day, but he hopes that will be with the Tractor Boys.
“I want to be back to that level – back to the Premier League and manage in the Champions League,” McKenna told The Telegraph last month.
“The ambition of the club is to get back to the Premier League as well so let’s hope that those two paths will cross at the same time.
“But beyond that I don’t plan too far ahead. It is my responsibility as a manager to pour all my commitment and energy into helping the club. From there the football will take care of itself and it will take you where it takes you.”
Would Kieran McKenna be a good appointment for Crystal Palace?
McKenna would be an excellent appointment for the Eagles.
He has established himself as one of the brightest young managers in the EFL, and he seems destined to manage in the Premier League in the not-too-distant future whether that is at Ipswich or elsewhere.
After their strong start to the season, the Tractor Boys look to be serious automatic promotion contenders in the Championship, and McKenna could fulfil his top flight managerial ambitions at Portman Road.
Should Ipswich be promoted, they have the financial resources to be competitive in the Premier League, and it could be argued that a switch to Selhurst Park would not necessarily be a progressive move for McKenna.