Kieran McKenna has stepped down as Ipswich Town manager after four and a half years in charge, leaving the club to plan for life back in the Premier League without the man who drove its rise from League One. The 40-year-old said he will take a break from management and spend time with his family after deciding it was the right moment to move on.
That timing matters because Ipswich are heading back to the top flight next season, and the search for the next Ipswich manager odds is now open around a club that has climbed fast but has just come off a year it could not survive in the Premier League. McKenna, who joined from Manchester United's first-team coaching staff in December 2021, said that after reflection over the last couple of weeks he felt this was the right time to step aside, adding that after five seasons in the role he wanted to dedicate time to his family, who had been with him through his career.
His departure closes a remarkable spell in Suffolk. Ipswich were in League One when he arrived, won consecutive promotions by May 2024 and sealed their latest ascent with a final-day win against QPR before finishing second in the Championship last season. McKenna said he was leaving with pride in the club's progress and hope for what comes next, while managing director Mark Ashton said he was gutted the journey had ended and that the impact of McKenna, his staff and his players would live on for ever.
The break is also a surprise because McKenna had been linked with the vacant job at Fulham, and there had been outside interest in him before. Instead, he is understood not to have another position lined up. Ipswich are backed by US-based investors and will open a new training ground before next season, but they are not expected to name a replacement immediately, leaving the club with a rare gap at the top just as it prepares for the Premier League again.
For Ipswich, the next move will shape how quickly a newly promoted side can settle in at a higher level. For McKenna, the decision is simpler: after five intense years, he is walking away at the peak of the club's rise and taking a pause that may prove just as consequential as the climb he leaves behind.
