Overview
- Multiple outlets reported on Friday that Ipswich are closing in on Strasbourg boss Gary O'Neil to replace Kieran McKenna.
- Chairman and CEO Mark Ashton said he expects an imminent appointment, with the deal dependent on Ipswich agreeing compensation terms with Strasbourg.
- O'Neil is reported likely to bring trusted assistants Tim Jenkins and Neil Critchley to Portman Road to ensure a coaching unit ready for preseason.
- Since arriving at Strasbourg in January, O'Neil recorded 13 wins, six draws and eight losses in 27 games and led the club to an eighth-place Ligue 1 finish and a Europa Conference League semi-final run.
- McKenna stepped down in mid-June after four-and-a-half years and Ipswich face the practical and cultural choice of preserving his playing identity or installing O'Neil's more pragmatic approach, with a press conference expected early next week.