Ipswich Town's Intriguing Managerial Search: Solskjaer and O'Neil
Ipswich Town are drawing up one of the most intriguing managerial shortlists of the summer, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer emerging as a serious contender to lead the club back into the Premier League spotlight.
The Norwegian, out of work since leaving Besiktas last summer, is understood to be keen on a return to England. For a coach whose last major job in the country was under the white-hot glare of Old Trafford, Portman Road would offer something very different: a club on the rise, a fanbase reawakened, and a project with momentum already crackling through it.
From McKenna’s Miracle to a Sudden Void
The vacancy itself still feels raw in Suffolk.
Kieran McKenna, the architect of Ipswich’s remarkable surge from League One to the Premier League in just two seasons, has stepped down at the very moment the club re-enters the top flight. Supporters had imagined him leading the Tractor Boys out against the elite; instead, they are left processing the departure of the man who dragged them from the doldrums.
McKenna, 40, confirmed he was walking away only weeks after sealing back-to-back promotions, becoming the first manager since Southampton’s 2012 rise to pull off the leap from the third tier to the Premier League in consecutive seasons. His decision landed like a gut punch.
In his farewell statement, he said: “I feel this is the right time for me to step aside. I do so with great pride at the incredible progress we have made and with huge hope and optimism for the future of the club.” He framed the move as a need to recharge, distancing himself from heavy links to the Fulham job.
It doesn’t soften the blow. McKenna was the driving force behind a revival that felt almost improbable, and his exit leaves a sizeable void in the dugout and in the club’s identity.
Solskjaer Link Adds a Twist of Fate
Into that space steps a familiar name. Solskjaer is more than a headline candidate; he carries a direct thread back to McKenna’s own journey.
The pair worked together at Manchester United, where McKenna served as Solskjaer’s assistant. Under that regime, United finished second in the Premier League in 2020–21, a campaign that remains the high-water mark of Solskjaer’s time at Old Trafford. The idea of the assistant’s old boss now inheriting his former protégé’s project adds an extra layer of intrigue to Ipswich’s search.
For Solskjaer, this is not just any job. Since leaving United in 2021, he has largely kept a low profile, taking a break before a short stint in Turkey with Besiktas. Reports last season even linked him with a shock return to Old Trafford, only for the club to look elsewhere, ultimately choosing Michael Carrick as they sought a new direction.
Ipswich offers a different kind of stage: less glare, more growth. Yet the expectations are no less demanding. This is a club that has rediscovered how to win, how to handle pressure, how to ride the wave when promotion beckons. Whoever steps in will be judged against that standard from day one.
O’Neil in the Frame
Solskjaer is not the only name on the table.
Gary O’Neil, currently in charge at Strasbourg, is also under serious consideration by the Ipswich hierarchy. His reputation has risen sharply after impressive spells at Bournemouth and Wolves, where he built a profile as a sharp, modern coach capable of steadying turbulent situations and squeezing more from limited resources.
There is already a connection in place. O’Neil previously worked with Ipswich chief executive Mark Ashton during their time together at Bristol City, a relationship that could carry weight as the club weigh up their options.
Strasbourg, though, are reportedly determined to keep him. O’Neil only moved to the French side in January, and they see him as central to their plans. The question is whether the lure of a Premier League return, and the chance to lead one of English football’s most upwardly mobile clubs, proves too strong.
A Club at Full Tilt, Searching for the Right Pilot
Ipswich’s board know exactly what is at stake. The club has surged back into the Premier League with a style and energy that has reconnected the town to its team. The challenge now is not just survival; it is preserving the identity and momentum that McKenna built.
They want a manager who can step into a winning environment without smothering it. Someone who can handle the leap in quality without losing the fearless edge that carried Ipswich past more established clubs in the Championship and out of League One.
Solskjaer brings big-club experience, the scars and lessons of Manchester United, and a personal link to the man who just transformed Ipswich. O’Neil offers a rising-manager profile, recent Premier League know-how, and an existing trust line to the chief executive.
What neither candidate can change is the scale of the task. Ipswich are back among the elite for the first time in a generation, and they have done it faster than anyone dared predict. The next appointment will decide whether this is a brief cameo in the top flight or the start of a long-term return.
The Tractor Boys have their momentum. Now they must choose who dares to drive it into the Premier League storm.
