Why Kieran McKenna may fancy leaving Ipswich Town for Celtic - there are 3 clear reasons | OneFootball

Kieran McKenna may end up being tempted by the Bhoys due to these reasons

Kieran McKenna's name has come up once again in managerial conversation, as it's now Celtic's turn to be linked with the Ipswich Town boss.

The 39-year-old is close to crossing four years in the dugout at Portman Road, and that time has seen him take the Tractor Boys from League One's mid-table all the way to the Premier League and then back to the Championship, where Ipswich are currently 12th.

McKenna's incredible journey with Ipswich saw him in demand during the summer of 2024, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Brighton all interested in bringing the exciting Northern Irish manager to their club, and clearly, the relegation hasn't dampened his stock, with West Ham United showing interest earlier this season.

Now, the 55-time Scottish champions are as well, after Brendan Rodgers resigned from his post on Monday following a defeat to table-topping Hearts, which leaves the Bhoys eight points behind top spot.

With McKenna staying at Ipswich amidst lucrative interest from Premier League sides, it could be hard to state why a move to Scotland would pique his interest, but here are three plausible reasons why.

Celtic gives Kieran McKenna a platform to showcase himself in Europe

Probably the most obvious reason why Kieran McKenna would want to jump ship to Celtic is due to their longstanding adventures in both the Champions League and the Europa League.

Celtic have been regulars in either of the top continental competitions since the turn of the decade, and given the number of European places on offer to Scottish sides, it's almost impossible for the Hoops not to be involved in some capacity.

Last season, five places in Europe were on offer in Scotland, albeit all five having to undergo qualifying rounds to get there, which Celtic failed this season, losing to the Kazakh Premier League side FC Kairat on penalties.

That still means Celtic are currently in the Europa League, of which they have four points from a possible nine in the group phase.

Moving to Celtic Park would allow Kieran McKenna not only to test himself there this season, but also possibly in the Champions League in the future, something that will likely not be happening at Portman Road anytime soon.

The Championship is not as easy as once thought — a fresh start might be optimal

Given Ipswich's transfer strategy last season of mainly bringing in players who had excelled in the Championship over the past few years, plus the parachute payments given to recently relegated Premier League teams, a lot of critics expected Kieran McKenna's side to walk the second tier this year.

Unfortunately, that's proven to be a difficult task so far, as the Tractor Boys have won just four of their 11 games in their return to the division, sitting nine points off the automatic promotion places.

Despite sitting mid-table, McKenna seemingly still has a lot of credit in the bank regarding Premier League and European-level jobs, and perhaps it may be the best time to jump ship.

If Ipswich ends up missing out on even the top two, let alone the play-offs, it would be seen as a failure of a season in the eyes of many, and you'd have to question whether these types of jobs would still be available for McKenna if he doesn't achieve Ipswich's goals this year.

Celtic have a tough task to win a fifth straight SPL title - Kieran McKenna could make himself a hero

Whilst Celtic are the traditional powerhouses of Scottish football, this season hasn't started well at all, and nine games in, there have been some grumblings about a changing of the guard in the SPL.

Hearts have won eight and drawn one of their nine league games so far, which included a 3-1 win over Celtic in what proved to be Brendan Rodgers' final match in charge before he resigned.

Usually, when a team catches fire in Scotland, it's hard to slow them down, and some may already think that the title race is done, now that Hearts have an eight-point gap on Celtic in second.

Therefore, if McKenna was to come over and transform the season, have a solid run in the Europa League and turn things around to win a fifth straight league title, and a 14th in 15 years, he'll instantly write himself into Celtic legend.

If he wants that challenge, he could easily take it. That being said, after the start Ipswich have made, it's proving a challenge to get the Tractor Boys back up at the first time of asking, and if he can overcome that, he'll arguably stand in better stead for the jobs at the Chelsea's or the Manchester United's of the world than he would if he won the league at Celtic.