Five contenders to be the next Ipswich Town manager

We take a look at the contenders to be the next manager of Ipswich Town as they look for a replacement for Kieran McKenna.

Ipswich sealed an immediate return to the Premier League after securing automatic promotion from the Championship in the 2025/26 season.

The Tractor Boys had been relegated from the top-flight in the 2024/25 campaign after previously securing back-to-back promotions.

McKenna has decided to step away from football management and dedicate time to his family, which brings the curtain down on a remarkable five years at Portman Road.

Here are our top five contenders to be the next Ipswich manager.

Next Ipswich Manager Contenders

Kjetil Knutsen

Norwegian manager Kjetil Knutsen has emerged as a leading contender to be the next Ipswich manager.

Knutsen has worked wonders with Bodo/Glimt after the leading the club to four league titles.

They have also punched above their weight on the European stage and it is surely only a matter of time before he lands a job in a major league.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Another Norwegian who has been linked to the vacant position at Ipswich is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The former Manchester United player and manager has been out of work since being sacked at Besiktas in August 2025.

Solksjaer is keen to return to management in English football and he won't get many better opportunities to go straight back into the top-flight.

Thomas Frank

Thomas Frank has been linked with a number of positions in recent weeks following a series of changes in the Premier League.

The Danish manager endured an ill-fated eight-month tenure at Tottenham Hotspur, but despite his forgettable stint in North London, Frank still has plenty of credit in the bank after a successful seven-year spell as Brentford manager.

However, Frank will likely require persuasion after ruling himself out of a return to management last week.

Liam Rosenior

Another manager to suffer an acrimonious exit at a London club this year, Liam Rosenior will be eager to rebuild his managerial reputation after lasting just three months in the Chelsea job.

The former Hull City boss had earned widespread acclaim for the work he'd undertaken at Strasbourg before he was named Enzo Maresca's successor, having finished 7th in Ligue 1 with the BlueCo owned club.

Would his methods work at Ipswich? Rosenior would certainly have less egos to contend with at Portman Road than at Stamford Bridge.

Gary O'Neil

Strasbourg head coach Gary O'Neil has emerged as an interesting contender for the Portman Road hotseat since McKenna's departure.

Previously of Bournemouth and Wolves, O'Neil carved out a pretty impressive reputation for himself before leaving these shores after almost a year out of a job.

During his short time with Le Racing, the 43-year-old has won almost half of his games in charge and led the club to the Conference League semi-finals where they were defeated by Rayo Vallecano.