The BBC are this evening reporting that Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna is “likely to reject any new deal” from his current club, with Chelsea, Man U and Brighton all keen on appointing the rising star as their coach.
“McKenna – who is contracted to Ipswich until 2027 – is ambitious and is understood to be keen to take the next step in his career,” the piece reads.
There’s also an update about the cost of such an operation – the piece claims it would cost just £4m to bring in KcKenna and his assistant Martyn Pert. The Tractor Boys have a big offer to upgrade his current deal on the table, but it looks like too little too late from their perspective.
“BBC Sport understands that [Ipswich’s attempts to persuade McKenna are] expected to fail with the manager, and assistant Martyn Pert, feeling the time is right to move,” the piece continues. It’s a pity to see the Ipswich miracle potentially taken apart like this, but it’s only sensible from their perspective.
A major obstacle removed
Until now we’ve had serious doubts about Chelsea’s overwhelming confidence that they can sign KcKenna without any problems. Not only might he want to stay put at Ipswich, there are also other clubs in the mix chasing his signature.
But if this report is accurate it removes one of the major obstacles in our path by making it clear that the former player would reject Ipswich and be ready to move on right away.
The fact that it will be extremely cheap to sign McKenna and Pert will only make a move move tempting for Chelsea. As the BBC article points out however, McKenna is a boyhood Man U fan, and that will be another major hurdle for Chelsea if United decide to sack Erik Ten Hag and join the crowded race to sign up the 38 year old.
