Almost 5 years in office
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Ipswich Town will be without long-term coach Kieran McKenna for their second Premier League adventure in three years. After the successful promotion, the 40-year-old announced his resignation from the team, where he had played 222 games since December 20, 2021 and scored an average of 1.70 points. McKenna, who was once assistant coach at Manchester United to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, José Mourinho and briefly Ralf Rangnick as well as current head coach Michael Carrick, would like to take a break.
“After investing so much in this role over the past five seasons, I am now looking forward to taking a break from coaching and devoting time to my family, who have been with me every step of the way in my career,” McKenna said on Wednesday evening. “It is with a mixture of gratitude, pride, sadness and satisfaction that I have decided to step down from the honor of coaching this historic football club.”
The Tractor Boys honored McKenna as the coach of one of the most successful phases in the club’s history. With Ipswich he made the jump from League One to the Championship in 2023 and a year later also made it through to the Premier League. Ipswich was relegated straight away, but stuck with the coach and was rewarded with second place in the 2025/26 season.
McKenna said: “When you have built up as close a bond with this club as we have (he and his coaching team; editor’s note), there is never a good time to say goodbye. However, after achieving our second promotion to the Premier League last season – with another unforgettable final day at our stadium – and after reflecting a lot over the last few weeks, I feel that this is the right time for me to step down. I do so with great pride in the incredible Progress we have made and with great hope and optimism for the future of the club.” Training the team has been a privilege and the past few years have been an “incredible journey”.
