Ipswich Town Eye Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for Premier League Return
Ipswich Town are weighing up a bold move for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as they plot their return to the Premier League, with the former Manchester United manager emerging as a serious contender for the vacancy at Portman Road.
The Norwegian has been out of work since leaving Besiktas last summer and is understood to be keen on a fresh challenge in England. For a coach whose last major job in British football ended under the glare of Old Trafford’s spotlight, Ipswich offers something very different: a club on the rise, but without the crushing weight of a global superpower.
McKenna’s shock exit opens a symbolic door
The link to Solskjaer carries an extra layer of intrigue because of the man he could replace. Kieran McKenna, who confirmed his departure just weeks after leading Ipswich to back-to-back promotions and a return to the top flight, was once Solskjaer’s assistant at Manchester United.
That connection creates a direct coaching lineage from Old Trafford’s dugout to Portman Road. McKenna helped implement Solskjaer’s ideas in Manchester; now the club he has just left may turn to his former boss to continue the project he started.
For Ipswich supporters, the vacancy still stings. McKenna, 40, was the architect of a remarkable rise from League One to the Premier League, and many had hoped he would be the one to lead them out in the top flight. Instead, he chose to step away, insisting his decision was about rest rather than the lure of another job, despite heavy links to Fulham.
“I feel this is the right time for me to step aside. I do so with great pride at the incredible progress we have made and with huge hope and optimism for the future of the club,” McKenna said in his departing statement.
He leaves behind not just a promotion-winning side, but a structure and belief that had dragged Ipswich from the third tier back to what many fans still call the promised land.
Solskjaer, O’Neil and a pivotal choice
Solskjaer’s name naturally grabs headlines. His three-year spell at Manchester United included a second-place Premier League finish in 2020-21 and a Europa League final, achievements that look more respectable with each passing season at Old Trafford. After his exit in 2021, he stepped away from frontline management before resurfacing briefly in Turkey.
This could be the job that defines the next chapter of his career. Away from the relentless scrutiny of Manchester, he would inherit a united dressing room, a buoyant fanbase and a club that has rediscovered its identity.
But Ipswich are not putting all their focus on one man. Gary O’Neil, currently in charge at Strasbourg, is also under serious consideration. His stock has risen sharply after impressive spells at Bournemouth and Wolves, where he earned a reputation for organisation, clarity and squeezing the maximum from limited resources.
There is another important thread: O’Neil already has a working relationship with Ipswich chief executive Mark Ashton from their time together at Bristol City. In the boardroom, familiarity counts. It can tilt big decisions.
Strasbourg, though, are reportedly determined to keep O’Neil, who only took over in January. The French club see him as central to their project. The question is whether the pull of the Premier League, and the chance to lead a newly promoted side with momentum at its back, proves too strong.
A club on the rise, and expectations to match
Ipswich’s decision-makers know the stakes. They are not just appointing a manager; they are choosing the figurehead for a club that has surged from League One to the Premier League in two breathless seasons. Under McKenna, Ipswich became the first side since Southampton in 2012 to secure consecutive promotions from the third tier to the top flight.
That sort of rise changes everything. Expectations harden. The dressing room believes it can handle pressure. Supporters no longer just hope to survive; they start to wonder how far this group can go.
For Solskjaer, this is a chance to show he can build and sustain something away from United’s chaos. For O’Neil, it would be a natural next step in a career that has so far moved quickly but convincingly.
Whoever steps into the dugout at Portman Road will not be starting from scratch. They will inherit a squad that has already proved it knows how to win when the stakes are highest. The real test now is whether Ipswich’s next appointment can turn that surge of momentum into a lasting Premier League presence.
