Carlton Palmer: Kieran McKenna won't leave Ipswich Town for Sunderland | OneFootball

EFL pundit Carlton Palmer believes there is no chance of Kieran McKenna leaving Ipswich Town for Sunderland.

The Black Cats are currently looking for a new manager after the sudden departure of Tony Mowbray on Monday evening.

The decision to part ways ended Mowbray’s year and a half spell in charge of the club, a tenure that can be deemed a success as he guided the club to the play-offs in his first season in charge after they'd just been promoted from League One.

As there is a vacancy at the Stadium of Light, it has resulted in several names being linked to the post, and one name that emerged surprisingly was McKenna of Ipswich.

According to a report from TEAMtalk, McKenna and Reims manager Will Still are two names under consideration by the club’s board.

Palmer was clear that he felt there was no chance of McKenna swapping Ipswich for Sunderland.

He told FLW: “Sunderland have been linked with a potential move for Ipswich Town’s manager Kieran McKenna.

“There is absolutely no chance of this happening, Ipswich have already moved to give Kieran a new contract to reflect the significance of his role in Ipswich’s promotion from League One and they sit in second place in the Championship currently.

“Ipswich are 15 points clear of the team that occupies the final play-off place, so even if Ipswich were not to secure an automatic play-off place, they will be guaranteed a play-off place.

“Sunderland sit in ninth place, three points outside a play-off place, and at best that will be what they will have to settle for.

“Sunderland’s pay structure and focus on young players mean there's no chance McKenna will jump ship. He has an opportunity to do back-to-back promotions and take Ipswich back to the Premier League.

“The owners will back him again in the January transfer window. They're very ambitious so they have absolutely no reason for Kieran’s head to be turned unless a Premier League club comes knocking.”

Sunderland’s league position

Sunderland announced the departure of Mowbray on Monday night, with the club sitting outside of the Championship play-off places.

The Black Cats have won the same number of games that they have lost this season, and with no win in their last three league games, it has seen them slip away from the top six.

They head into their weekend game against West Brom sitting in ninth place on 27 points, three behind the final play-off spot and a staggering 18 points behind McKenna’s Ipswich.

Sunderland still have a very good chance of securing a play-off spot, but they will know they need to make the right appointment for their season to finish with success.

Kieran McKenna will only leave Ipswich Town for a Premier League job

Given how good of a job McKenna has done at Portman Road, it would be silly and frankly shocking to see him leave Ipswich for any other club, barring a Premier League side.

The former Manchester United coach has impressed enormously since taking over the Tractor Boys, and with him looking on course to take Ipswich up once again, why would he leave them for another Championship side?

McKenna will want to manage in the Premier League, and currently his best chance of doing that is with Ipswich. So, the only chance of him leaving the club would be for a side that is already in the top flight.