Celtic situation involving Wilfried Nancy may put Ipswich Town on alert | OneFootball

Kieran McKenna had been linked with the vacant head coach position at Celtic before Wilfried Nancy's appointment

Wilfried Nancy has begun his tenure as Celtic boss with three defeats in his opening three fixtures, including a 3-1 loss to St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup final.

The state of play at Celtic may raise some fears at Ipswich Town that The Bhoys could well return with a move for their head coach, Kieran McKenna, sooner rather than later, if Nancy's poor run continues.

It has been a turbulent season north of the border, and in particular in Glasgow, with both Celtic and Rangers hitting the buffers this season, creating an opening at the summit of the table for Hearts to swoop in and take advantage of.

Following the departure of Brendan Rodgers earlier this season, Celtic were on the hunt for a new head coach, with Ipswich's Kieran McKenna being earmarked as a potential replacement in the Celtic Park dugout.

The Northern Irishman took charge of The Tractor Boys in December 2021 and has taken the Suffolk-based outfit on a miraculous journey since.

McKenna guided Ipswich to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League in just two seasons, and although the jump up to the top flight proved to be too much for the club, his reputation remained sky-high, and his job security was never in doubt, despite the relegation.

Ipswich underwent a big turnover in the squad this summer, with a large core of the squad that helped them achieve promotion to the Premier League in 2024 having left, yet Ipswich remained among one of the favourites for promotion despite this.

Although Celtic would settle on former Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy as the club's new head coach, the Frenchman's start to life in Glasgow couldn't have gone much worse, and already under pressure, Ipswich will be hoping that rumours of McKenna's departure don't resurface.

Wifried Nancy has had a torrid start to life at Celtic, with fears at Ipswich that Kieran McKenna rumours may resurface

In Nancy's defence, joining a club in the middle of the season is always tricky, especially when you're having to pack your bags and move to a completely different continent from the one you had been working in.

Nancy had been in charge of both CF Montreal and Columbus Crew before his switch to Celtic, and although he has lost all three of his opening games, the fixture list hasn't been too kind to him, though, with the expectations forever high at Celtic, few excuses can be made.

A 2-1 home defeat in his opening game against Hearts was followed up by a 3-0 home defeat to Roma in the Europa League, with their most recent 3-1 defeat in the Scottish League Cup final to St Mirren proving to be the most damning so far.

The Frenchman consequently became the first Celtic manager in history to lose their opening three games, with rumours that he could become the quickest head coach to be sacked emerging as a result.

With McKenna seen as an option just months ago, Ipswich will be hoping that Nancy can turn results around in Glasgow sooner rather than later, so rumours of the Northern Irishman's departure from Portman Road don't once again resurface.

Ipswich will be hopeful of keeping hold of Kieran McKenna despite recent links to Celtic

Despite Ipswich not yet hitting the heights that many would have expected them to this season, the general consensus remains that they will find form at some stage this campaign.

Many will have predicted the Tractor Boys to be in and amongst the automatic promotion picture for much of this season, but so far that has yet to transpire, with, in truth, none of the parachute payment clubs fully up to scratch.

However, with talented players across the pitch, with the likes of Jaden Philogene and Sindre Walle Egeli in attack, Marcelino Nunez and Azor Matusiwa in midfield, and solid defence containing the likes of Leif Davies, Dara O'Shea, and Jacob Greaves, Ipswich, on paper, have one of the strongest squads in the division.

McKenna has worked miracles during his time with Ipswich, with the club languishing in League One when he took over, and now firmly a top-half Championship side, at the worst.

The Tractor Boys will largely be reluctant to see the Northern Irishman leave, despite their form being hit and miss this campaign, and will be hoping that Nancy can turn Celtic's form around sooner rather than later for their own good.