Though Carlton Palmer, a former England midfielder, feels both Kieran McKenna and Suffolk Town are loyal to one other, he is concerned about McKenna’s employment rumors.
This comes after German publication Bild said that Stuttgart of the Bundesliga is considering hiring the Ipswich manager to succeed departing manager Sebastian Hoeneß.
Hoeneß has received a great deal of praise this season for leading the German team, who are now in third position in the Bundesliga, to competitive play.
The 41-year-old has a deal with Bayern Munich that expires in the summer of 2027, but there have been rumors that he could quit. Tuchel is leaving at the end of the current campaign, and Bayern could want to replace him.
Due to this, Stuttgart has added McKenna to their shortlist for managerial candidates. It is thought that Fabian Wohlgemuth, the director of football of Stuttgart, was impressed by McKenna’s performance at Ipswich.
Since Crystal Palace used to be an admirer of the Ipswich boss, McKenna has been associated with moves away from Portman Road before.
Carlton Palmer thinks there is a commitment between Kieran McKenna and Ipswich Town.
We at Football League World spoke with Carlton Palmer, a former midfielder for Sheffield Wednesday, to get his opinion on whether Kieran McKenna, the manager of Ipswich Town, should wait for a Premier League position or if Stuttgart’s interest in him is cause for concern.
Palmer stated to FLW: “Kieran McKenna, his name has been associated with Stuttgart once more and will undoubtedly be associated with many things as a result of his outstanding win percentage since taking over at Ipswich as manager.
They suffered their first loss in six games the other day, so it was a terrible outcome. Even though they had five victories, they are still only one point above automatic promotion. Meanwhile, Leicester City, which we had assumed would win the league handily, is only four points ahead of Ipswich.
“Thus, even though we believed it was impossible for Leicester to lose the league, they had three losses before they just bounced back with a win and a tie. Ipswich plays Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, so you would think they would win. However, considering how well Ipswich is playing, they still have a chance to advance automatically or through the play-offs.
Naturally, Kieran McKenna will be connected to positions both domestically and abroad, including in the Premier League.
Although I’ve mentioned it before, I believe Kieran is devoted to Ipswich Town, therefore it is a concern. I believe Ipswich Town will stick with Kieran. They have supported him in the transfer market, and as I’ve already stated, I still truly feel that Leicester, Leeds United, and Ipswich have been the three stronger Championship teams this year—Southampton being the only team behind them—and that all three will be promoted to the Premier League.
“So, once more, Kieran will be managing in the Premier League next season. Given his support, I believe he will continue in his current role until, should you decide to leave, you wish to move to a position that will be a good fit for you in the Premier League.”
Where Ipswich Town is in the league
This 2023/24 Championship season has been an utter success for Ipswich Town, no matter how the campaign finishes.
The Tractor Boys were promoted from League One last season, and have come straight into the second tier, and are looking to do the same once again.
There are just nine games to go in the Championship, and Ipswich are continuing their pursuit of a top-two finish alongside Leeds United, Southampton, and Leicester City.
| Championship Table (As it stands March 11th) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Leicester City | 37 | 41 | 82 |
| 2 | Leeds United | 37 | 40 | 79 |
| 3 | Ipswich Town | 37 | 25 | 78 |
| 4 | Southampton | 36 | 26 | 73 |
| 5 | West Brom | 37 | 21 | 63 |
| 6 | Norwich City | 37 | 12 | 58 |
| 7 | Hull City | 37 | 7 | 58 |
| 8 | Coventry City | 37 | 16 | 57 |
Defeat last time out to Cardiff City means Ipswich are now back in third place with 78 points, a point behind Leeds in second and four behind leaders Leicester.
The Tractor Boys do have a five-point gap over fourth-place Southampton, but the Saints do have a game in hand. Ipswich are back in action this Saturday as they welcome Sheffield Wednesday to Portman Road.
Kieran McKenna’s increasing number of job mentions will undoubtedly worry Ipswich.
However, the former Manchester United coach is still very early in his managerial career, and he will feel that because Ipswich took a chance on him a few years ago, he still owes them a lot.
However, McKenna will continue to draw attention as long as the Islanders are successful, and eventually, he probably will depart the team. However, McKenna will stay at Portman Road if the Tractor Boys get promoted to the Premier League because he wants to lead this team to success and support them in their inaugural campaign.
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