Ex-Ipswich Town star issues claim on potential Nottingham Forest, Kieran McKenna managerial swoop | OneFootball

The Tractor Boys boss has been the subject of previous managerial speculation

Former Ipswich Town man and current talkSPORT pundit, Alan Brazil, has debated whether he sees current Tractor Boys boss, Kieran McKenna, taking up the managerial post at Nottingham Forest after the East Midlands side parted with Sean Dyche.

It has been a chaotic season for the Reds, with the former Watford, Burnley and Everton boss becoming their third managerial casualty of the campaign after Nuno Espírito Santo and Ange Postecoglou.

The final straw for controversial owner, Evangelos Marinakis, came when Forest were unable to break down a resolute defensive effort from the Premier League's rock-bottom side, Wolverhampton Wanderers, at the City Ground on Wednesday night, despite mustering a staggering total of 35 attempts against Rob Edwards' outfit.

Dyche and his coaching staff were relieved of their duties shortly after the full-time whistle, with attention now turning as to who will be the man that can guide Forest to eventual safety in the Premier League, as well as their upcoming UEFA Europa League knockout campaign, which begins with a two-legged play-off against Turkish Süper Lig giants, Fenerbahçe.

Forest's goalless draw against the Old Gold and Black in midweek saw them fail to extend the gap between themselves and West Ham United to five points, which would have also seen them draw level on points with Tottenham Hotspur in 16th, with the North London side dismissing Thomas Frank on Wednesday morning following an 11th defeat of the league season against Newcastle United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

McKenna, of course, could be swapping places in the pyramid with any of the aforementioned sides next season depending on circumstances, with Ipswich currently sat third in the Championship, five points behind Coventry City, who occupy second spot at present.

The Northern Irishman has also been heavily linked with several moves away from Portman Road within the past two years, and all of a sudden, the aforementioned Brazil has questioned whether a switch to the City Ground would be the best move for all parties.

Alan Brazil offers verdict on potential Nottingham Forest swoop for Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna

With Dyche's sacking being confirmed by Forest at 00:31 on Thursday morning, speculation has already gathered pace as to who his successor will be.

It has been claimed by the Athletic that the Reds hierarchy are already in talks with former Wolves boss, Vitor Pereira, over the possibility of the Portuguese head coach taking the reins at the City Ground.

The 57-year-old's links will also interest clubs in the Championship, after it was reported that he was of interest to the Leicester City board following their dismissal of Marti Cifuentes on January 25th.

As previously mentioned, though, speculation over McKenna's long-term future has become nothing new to Ipswich fans, as he has been linked with the likes of Brighton and Hove Albion, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United over time.

Speaking on talkSPORT on Thursday morning, Brazil believes the 39-year-old may be waiting to see what develops at Old Trafford in the coming weeks, with former Middlesbrough boss, Michael Carrick, currently in interim charge.

He said: “I think Kieran McKenna is in a great position for it (the Forest job). But is he sitting tight waiting for the (Manchester) United job?”

Ipswich Town will hope promotion charge isn't derailed by Kieran McKenna speculation

At present, Ipswich will hope their promotion bid isn't derailed by the distraction of further speculation linking McKenna away from Suffolk.

It has been well-documented that the Town boss is one of the country's most highly-rated homegrown bosses due to his success at Portman Road, which initially saw Ipswich achieve back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League.

However, supporters will be comforted by the fact that a major stumbling block for any side in a pursuit of McKenna is a reported fee in excess of £5m in compensation.