"I was talking to him" - Simon Grayson makes Rob Edwards claim as Ipswich Town eye Luton Town boss | OneFootball

Veteran EFL manager Simon Grayson believes Luton Town manager Rob Edwards could be a good fit for Ipswich Town, should Kieran McKenna leave the club this summer.

McKenna is being heavily linked with the vacant managerial positions at both Manchester United and Chelsea respectively, after he guided Ipswich Town to Premier League promotion in highly impressive style.

The Northern Irishman has revealed that he would be open to taking over at Old Trafford, should current manager Erik ten Hag leave the club after the conclusion of this weekend's FA Cup final.

It remains to be seen as to which candidates would be on The Tractor Boys' radar should McKenna leave Portman Road in the coming days/weeks.

But there's one name that experienced EFL boss Grayson believes could be the right fit to take over - Hatters boss, Edwards.

Grayson believes Edwards could be Town's man

Speaking on the possibility of the Luton boss replacing McKenna, Grayson said to FLW via Freebets.com: "Yeah look, Rob's a really good lad.

"He was my captain at Blackpool so I know him well, I was with him the other night at an awards dinner. I was talking to him about things, he was really pleased with how things had gone at Luton.

"But he was also disappointed that he'd took them down because he didn't want to get relegated, but he's a good forward-thinking coach with good ideas, and very flexible in what he does. "A club like Ipswich would be a good fit for him, but ultimately he might have that decision to make - does he leave Luton? "They have given him that opportunity, and they've had a promotion, can they get back to the Premier League at the first attempt next year?

"Only these lads that we're talking about will know what they're thinking of doing, it's very hard for us to guess what their final decisions will be."

Edwards would likely change Ipswich's formation

Regardless of whether he's been a Championship manager with Luton Town, or a Premier League one, the staple of Edwards' success has been built around playing with a back three.

Various midfield and attacking combinations such as 3-5-2. 3-4-1-2 etc have been tinkered with, but his defensive line has almost exclusively remained the same as a flat back three.

Wing-backs have been a significant part of Edwards' success, as Alfie Doughty in particular has shone in Edwards' system.

Whereas as Ipswich boss McKenna has largely been seen to deploy a more traditional flat back four, whilst also commonly playing with a lone striker compared to Edwards' preference of using two.

This isn't to say the style of play that Edwards would likely introduce to Portman Road wouldn't work, as his Luton side put up a strong fight against relegation this season and the Welshman will have learned from his experience.

It just may take time to click and gel, and unfortunately if his system didn't hit the ground running in Suffolk, Ipswich may not be able to afford the time it could take to get it right.

Leif Davis could continue thriving for Edwards

When analysing the potential benefactors of an Edwards appointment at Ipswich Town, one player stands out more than most, Town's flying left-back Leif Davis.

The 24-year-old was a fairly unanimous selection as the best left-back in the Championship this season, and seeing the strides the fellow 24-year-old Doughty has also taken under Edwards, he would surely welcome his potential arrival.

Both players have become crucial to their respective sides' successes, and pushing Davis even further into the wing-back role Doughty plays under Edwards could suit his game even further.

That might be hard to believe given Davis' ludicrous 35 assists in 90 total appearances under McKenna, but his strengths clearly lie in finding himself in attacking areas, and that is exactly what Edwards would look to maximise should he be handed the Ipswich reigns.