KIERAN MCKENNA STEPS DOWN AS IPSWICH TOWN MANAGER

Kieran McKenna has resigned as Ipswich Town manager after four and a half years in charge at Portman Road. McKenna announced his departure following Ipswich's second-place finish in the Championship, which secured the club's return to the Premier League for the 2025-26 season. A final-day victory over QPR clinched promotion. McKenna stated he is stepping away from management to take a break and spend more time with his family.

McKenna took over at Ipswich in December 2021 with the club in League One, having previously held a first-team coaching role at Manchester United. He guided Ipswich to consecutive promotions, reaching the Premier League by May 2024, before the club were relegated at the end of the 2024-25 season. Ipswich chair Mark Ashton described himself as "gutted" by the decision. McKenna had been linked with the vacant managerial position at Fulham, but his departure is not connected to that role. Ipswich will retain financial protections should McKenna take a position elsewhere within the coming months.

McKenna is understood to have reached his decision early last week following a post-season break. In his departure statement, McKenna cited the second promotion and the connection he had built with the club as factors in his timing. He leaves having transformed Ipswich from a League One side into a top-flight club across his tenure. No replacement has been announced by Ipswich Town.