Claim made on Ipswich Town, Kieran McKenna exit fear as Brentford & Spurs knock-on effects loom | OneFootball

FLW's Ipswich Town fan pundit has given his verdict on Kieran McKenna's future amid Brentford links

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Brentford are eyeing a potential move for Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna in the event Thomas Frank departs.

According to Football Insider, the Bees see the Northern Irishman as a top candidate to take over as their next head coach.

McKenna has been with the Tractor Boys since December 2021, and has overseen promotion twice in that time.

Ipswich are now preparing for life back in the Championship after coming 19th in the Premier League table.

Kieran McKenna Ipswich exit claim

When asked about McKenna potentially leaving for Brentford, FLW’s Ipswich fan pundit Adam Wilkin claimed he’s not too concerned about it just yet.

He believes that there are a lot of steps that need to happen before it becomes a serious option, with Tottenham Hotspur yet to make any decision over Ange Postecoglou amid their reported interest in the Danish coach.

“I don’t think there’s concern yet,” Wilkin told Football League World.

“That would obviously be the end of a chain of events that would have to see Tottenham sack Ange Postecoglou and then Thomas Frank actually want to go after that job.

“Tottenham did get Champions League in the end, but their squad is fairly weak and Daniel Levy is not known for spending a lot of money.

“I’m not sure what Frank’s release clause is at Brentford, but that might be another stumbling point, and whether he’d want to go to Tottenham having done so well with Brentford this season, whether he’d want to carry on that momentum.

“If those two things did go, it could be a similar thing with McKenna.

“I know he’s fairly settled in Suffolk, Brentford would obviously be a step-up in terms of where they are currently.

“I think style-wise, he might not be the best fit for Brentford, but he has shown this season that he can adapt his formation to play back five, back four depending on the situation.”

McKenna’s loyalty to Ipswich

Wilkin is confident that McKenna can be convinced to stay at Portman Road, citing that he turned down interest from three clubs last year as an example of him being settled at the Suffolk outfit.

“And I think it would be a tempting offer for him, but last season he had Brighton, I guess that was a similar sort of thing, and then the Chelsea and Man United interest, I’m not sure how firm they were at the time.

“He had three offers last year, and chose to stay in Suffolk.

“Slightly different situation because we’d just been promoted to the Premier League, whereas we’ve just been relegated, but I think he believes in the club, believes in the vision, has a good relationship with Mark Ashton.

“So Brentford might be tempting, but I don’t think it would be an absolute no-brainer.

“I think it would be one that would be weighed up carefully.”

Ipswich have no need to worry just yet

Frank is still in charge at Brentford, so Ipswich have nothing to immediately worry about until that changes.

While McKenna would be a sensible potential replacement, there are no guarantees that the Brentford manager is going anywhere just yet.

A move to the Bees would be tempting for McKenna, and relegation to the Premier League does make it more likely he’d go compared to last year.

It would be a huge blow to Ipswich to lose their manager, especially if it’s a saga that drags into the start of pre-season, but for now they have nothing to worry about.