Why big Premier League update is a huge relief for Ipswich Town | OneFootball

Ipswich Town have one Premier League club to thank ahead of next season's Championship campaign.

Ipswich Town are preparing to embark on life back in the Football League following last season’s top-flight adventure.

Kieran McKenna has overseen the Tractor Boys’ project over recent years, guiding them admirably all the way from League One to the Premier League.

As such, the 39-year-old is viewed as one of the most promising up-and-coming managers in English football, and therefore will naturally find himself high up on the wish list of multiple clubs in the country.

With the Tractor Boys needing as many of their current squad to remain on board as possible as they aim to reclaim their Premier League status next season, it would’ve been a hammer blow if McKenna decided to exit Portman Road this summer.

Brentford's Keith Andrews decision will have been music to Ipswich Town’s ears

When Tottenham Hotspur decided to appoint Thomas Frank as their new manager earlier this window, speculation soon began that McKenna would be the ideal candidate to fill the vacant position at the Gtech Community Stadium.

This sent shockwaves through the Ipswich Town fanbase, who suddenly faced the daunting prospect of acclimatising to life back in the Championship without their leader of the previous few years.

It seemed likely that if Brentford came calling for McKenna’s services, the Northern Irishman would feel obliged to progress his career and get straight back to working in the Premier League.

However, the Bees issued Ipswich with a huge sigh of relief.

Former set-piece coach Keith Andrews has been promoted to take over from Frank, which meant that there were no more realistic opportunities for McKenna to leave Portman Road.

Suddenly, the worst-case scenario is off the table for Ipswich, and they can now refocus their attention on best preparing for the upcoming Championship campaign.

McKenna has some work to do though, as he's already seen Cameron Burgess, Axel Tuanzebe, Marcus Harness and Liam Delap all make exits from Portman Road this summer.

Kieran McKenna will target Championship promotion next season

But with his future now seemingly still at Portman Road, the 39-year-old can get back to business and start bolstering his squad this summer.

Despite some key players already departing the club this summer, McKenna does still have a host of experienced and proven Championship performers at his disposal.

Alex Palmer provides a safe pair of hands in goal, he still has a number of proven second tier defenders in Leif Davis, Jacob Greaves and Dara O'Shea, and some excellent attacking options in the form of Sammie Szmodics, Jack Clarke, Nathan Broadhead and Jaden Philogene respectively.

McKenna knows exactly what it takes to achieve promotion to the Premier League with Ipswich Town, and did so last time without the benefit of parachute payments.

His free-flowing, heavy-scoring Tractor Boys were the surprise package of the 2023/24 Championship campaign, and took the division by storm in what was a campaign that will live long in the memory of the Portman Road faithful.

McKenna is understandably idolised by Ipswich supporters, and so to lose such a beloved and trusted figure would’ve been a huge miss heading into next term, immediately putting them on the back foot in the hunt for promotion.

Instead, Brentford have prevented that uncomfortable scenario from existing, and has instead allowed the Tractor Boys to continue under their current rule.

Time will tell whether Ipswich can fight their way back to the top-flight at the first time of asking, but one thing is for sure: keeping McKenna at the helm automatically increases their chance of doing so.