Ipswich Town ‘reach agreement’ with Gary O’Neil after Kieran McKenna exit | OneFootball

Ipswich Town, newly promoted and set to face Leeds United next season, are closing in on Gary O’Neil as head coach after Kieran McKenna’s departure. The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that talks have progressed between the club and the 43-year-old.

Fabrizio Romano has claimed an agreement on terms has been reached, with only formalities to follow.

Ipswich clinched automatic promotion last season by finishing second, behind Coventry City, their third promotion in four years under McKenna. They are set to be among the early favourites for relegation and a side Leeds will target finishing above.

McKenna left earlier this month to take a break from football, leaving Portman Road without a manager at the start of a pivotal summer.

O’Neil has been in France since January with RC Strasbourg. The Ligue 1 club lost Liam Rosenior to Chelsea, with both owned by American consortium BlueCo, and recorded an eighth-place finish under the Englishman alongside a Europa Conference League semi-final defeat.

Previously, O’Neil kept Bournemouth up in 2022/23 before being replaced by Andoni Iraola. He then led Wolves to a 14th-place finish in 2023/24 and was sacked the following December, after a defeat to Ipswich.

O’Neil will have plenty of time to imprint his style before Ipswich visit Elland Road on the fifth of December. Leeds travel to Portman Road on the first of May, both clubs’ fifth-to-last league fixtures.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk