Chelsea has initiated talks with Ipswich Town to discuss acquiring their manager, Kieran McKenna, according to sources at football.london. The Northern Irish manager is a top prospect for Chelsea to succeed Mauricio Pochettino, who recently left the club by mutual agreement. Ipswich, however, is keen on retaining McKenna at Portman Road, especially after his remarkable achievement of leading the Tractor Boys to the top flight for the first time in 22 years. McKenna’s tenure has been notable for Ipswich’s dynamic attacking style and solid defense, contributing to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Championship and then to the top league.
Chelsea Eyes McKenna as Potential Head Coach Amid Coaching Changes
Chelsea has reached out to Ipswich, expressing their interest in recruiting McKenna as their head coach, according to reports from football.london. However, Chelsea is not alone in this pursuit; Brighton is also considering McKenna after the unexpected departure of their coach, Roberto De Zerbi.
Chelsea aims to appoint a young coach to lead their ambitious long-term project. Previously, Pochettino led the team to a successful European campaign in his sole season but was not seen as a long-term solution. Following a review that concluded on Tuesday morning, both Pochettino and Chelsea mutually agreed to part ways. While McKenna is favored to succeed Pochettino, Chelsea remains open to exploring other options.
Chelsea’s Coaching Targets: Maresca and Hoeness
Enzo Maresca, who led Leicester City to surpass McKenna in winning the Championship title during the 2023/24 season, is catching the eye of Chelsea. The Italian, previously an understudy to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, is admired at Stamford Bridge for his role in drastically transforming Leicester’s playing style to a more dominant form.
Sebastian Hoeness, the current head of VfB Stuttgart, has also garnered attention. However, acquiring him appears more challenging. Already having turned down an offer from Bayern Munich to remain at the MHPArena, Hoeness may prove harder to recruit than coaches like McKenna and Maresca.
