Ipswich Town: Choices of former Chelsea boss should help Kieran McKenna with Brighton decision - View | OneFootball

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has a big few weeks and months ahead of him, in which he will need to decide where his short-term future lies, at least.

The 37-year-old has received plenty of attention off the back of winning successive promotions with the Tractor Boys, taking them from League One to the Premier League in the quickest way possible.

It was a feat that few expected to happen, unless you listen to people from within the club. Striker George Hirst told Sky Sports, after the final game of the season - a 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town which clinched Ipswich's spot in the top flight for the 2024/25 campaign - that he knew that this was possible from the get-go.

The back-to-back second place finishes has brought the brightest of spotlights onto the club, and, concerningly for them, their manager.

McKenna has been linked with Premier League jobs in the past, but now the real pursuit of him by some of the top teams in England is underway.

In this time of uncertainty and temptation, McKenna should look at what former Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea boss Graham Potter did, and use it to help him decide what his next move should be.

Brighton, Manchester United and Chelsea's interest in Kieran McKenna

The rumour mill really started turning once Roberto de Zerbi, Brighton's manager, was announced to be leaving the club at the end of the season. That was the first domino to fall.

This started the noise about their interest in McKenna, who, within an hour of the de Zerbi news, was being linked with taking over at the Amex Stadium.

Journalist Alan Nixon recently stated that Brighton's interest in the Northern Irishman stems back six months, and that he had been picked out as their top option, if their now former Italian boss were to leave.

Two other big English clubs, Manchester United and Chelsea, who haven't yet lost their bosses but could look to make a change, are also said to hold an interest in McKenna. He worked for United before joining Ipswich in the middle of the 21/22 campaign.

If any team does want to get him, they will need to pay Town £6 million in compensation fees, as per Nixon.

Kieran McKenna should look at Graham Potter before making Brighton choice

Of the three aforementioned teams, Brighton, because of their current vacancy, are the most likely to go hard after the 37-year-old.

But, before any decision is made, he should look at former Seagulls and Chelsea boss Graham Potter, look at his previous situation, look at how things have panned out for him, and use that to inform his decision.

Potter was once the hot, up-and-coming British coach who was being linked with top jobs in the Premier League. He had helped Brighton rise up the table, and was lauded for the job that he had done. So much so that he was brought over to Stamford Bridge to be Thomas Tuchel's replacement.

It didn't go well.

Within no time, he was being questioned by the fans about whether he was up to managing at the highest levels.

31 games into his tenure, he was removed as Chelsea boss, and that stick of not being able to manage the big clubs in England is what he has been beaten with ever since.

That same eventuality could come McKenna's way if he takes his next step too quickly.

The 2024/25 campaign will be just his third full season as a manager. Even once it is over, he will still have been a manager for less time than the amount that Potter was at Brighton for.

The Seagulls didn't give the 49-year-old his first role. He'd worked at Swansea City and Ostersunds prior to that. That's at least some experience, and yet he still wasn't able to adapt to being the leader of such a big side.

There are, of course, anomalies in life, and so far McKenna has proven to be one. But Potter probably took that step a bit too soon, in hindsight, and now chances at the top level aren't likely to come around again for him.

If the Ipswich boss jumps ship now, with the little experience he has, there's a risk that he and Potter could end up in the same boat, proverbially treading water for years to come.

Town fans have earned the right to think that this team can do almost anything, given the past two seasons, but relegation is a real possibility back in the Premier League and everyone is aware of that.

Even if they get relegated, McKenna's name will probably be linked to decent jobs in the Premier League, but they'll be much harder to come by if he starts to drown after making a risky move so early in his career.