Ipswich Town latest: Kieran McKenna tipped for West Ham, Brandon Williams update, transfer news | OneFootball

It has been a busy few days at Ipswich Town both on and off the field, with the Tractor Boys preparing for a crucial final eight fixtures in the Championship.

Kieran McKenna’s side sit a place outside the automatic promotion spots in the second tier ahead of the Easter weekend, with Leicester City ahead of them on goal difference, albeit with a game in hand.

The Suffolk side face a double-header against Blackburn Rovers and Southampton on Good Friday and Easter Monday respectively, as they look to keep the pressure on at the top of the table.

Ahead of the bumper weekend of EFL football, let's take a lookat the latest ongoings surrounding the promotion-chasers.

Bent tips McKenna for West Ham United job

McKenna has proved himself to be one of he hottest commodities in the Football League in the last two seasons, as he has masterminded Town’s rise from League One to the top of the Championship table.

The Northern Irish manager has earned himself plenty of plaudits for the work he has done at Portman Road, with the likes of Crystal Palace, Brentford and West Ham all said to be linked with the former Manchester United youth boss in the past.

It is the latter of the three that former Ipswich striker Darren Bent thinks could make a move in the summer though, especially if McKenna can’t get his side over the line in the battle for Premier League football.

Bent said on Ben Foster's YouTube channel: "That’s the only worry. He’s been phenomenal, and if Ipswich don’t go up… There’s so many people that would take him I think. West Ham potentially with David Moyes. There’s so many options."

Moyes is said to have been offered a new deal with the Hammers, but is waiting until the end of the current season to decide his future, which could pave the way for a move for McKenna in the summer.

It is not just English sides said to be interested in the 37-year-old, with reports in Germany stating that Stuttgart could be lining up a move for the Town boss should current boss Sebastian Hoeneß move on in the summer.

Kieran McKenna offers positive Brandon Williams update

Brandon Williams may still feature for Ipswich before the campaign comes to a close, with McKenna providing an update on the Manchester United loanee this week.

The fullback returned to Old Trafford in January for medical assessments, having featured in 15 league matches before the end of 2023, but hasn’t featured for the Tractor Boys in the current calendar year.

After reportedly suffering setbacks in his recovery, the Town boss has stated that a return to Portman Road before the end of the season isn’t out of the question as it stands.

McKenna said: Brandon's a Man United player, he's been back at Man United for the last few months and there has to be a certain level of readiness for him to come back here and be ready to contribute.

"If he doesn't reach that readiness before the end of the season, then he won't return. If he was able to reach that readiness, then it would be another option for us towards the end of the season.”

Ipswich Town CEO offers summer transfer warning

It was confirmed last week that 40% of Ipswich Town had been sold to US-based private equity firm Bright Path Sports Partners - who invested £105 million into the club.

The addition of wealthy benefactors to the club would no doubt have gotten tongues wagging in Suffolk, with the summer transfer window just around the corner and the potential of Premier League football on the horizon.

But Tractor Boys CEO Mark Ashton has acted to tone down expectations ahead of the off-season despite the recent investment.

"Let’s manage expectations – it’s not all going on transfer fees and players," Ashton said to in-house channel Town TV.

"We’ll be competitive in that market, but again, we have to adhere to Financial Fair Play rules.

"Every penny that the supporters put into the football club – the more shirts they buy, the more tickets they buy, the more commercial revenue that we bring into the football club – gives us more headroom to spend.

“Where we’re fantastically supported, we have an ownership group that don’t take a single penny or a single dollar out of this football club. Every penny that they put into this football club takes us forward.”

plans for the development at Playford Road also revealed this week.