Kieran McKenna has resigned as Ipswich Town manager just weeks after guiding the club back to the Premier League, saying he needs a break from football to spend time with his family.
The 40-year-old, who took charge in December 2021 when Ipswich were languishing in League One, leaves Portman Road after a remarkable four-and-a-half-year reign that delivered three promotions in four seasons, including back-to-back ascents from the third tier to the top flight in 2024. Last season, Ipswich finished runners-up in the Championship, securing an immediate return to the Premier League after being relegated in 2024-25.
“Kieran McKenna resigns as Ipswich manager weeks after Premier League promotion to take a break from football.”
"When you have the connection that we have built at this club there is never a good time to say goodbye," McKenna said. "However, having achieved a second promotion to the Premier League last season, with another memorable final day in our stadium, and after reflection over the last couple of weeks, 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 this club."
McKenna, who was born in London and raised in Northern Ireland, had two years remaining on the four-year deal he signed in 2024. He is understood not to have a position lined up, though he had been linked with the vacant Fulham job after Marco Silva's departure. His decision to walk away now, after a post-season break, is thought to be influenced by a desire to bow out on a high and recharge.
Ipswich chairman Mark Ashton described himself as "gutted" by the departure. "The mark he, his staff and his players have made on Ipswich Town and its community will live forever. It has captured a generation," Ashton said.
McKenna arrived from a first-team coaching role at Manchester United, where his promise quickly became known. In 2024 he beat Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta to the League Managers Association's manager of the year award after back-to-back promotions ended Ipswich's 22-year absence from the Premier League. He won 105 of his 222 games in charge.
The former Wolves head coach Gary O'Neil, currently managing Strasbourg, is among the contenders to replace McKenna. O'Neil, 43, spent two years as a player at Ipswich's big rivals Norwich City but has admirers at Portman Road. The club are said to be open-minded about a successor.