Ipswich Town Nears Gary O’Neil Appointment as Head Coach

Ipswich Town are closing on Gary O’Neil as their next head coach, with the club moving quickly to replace Kieran McKenna and avoid losing momentum after a transformative spell at Portman Road.

The 43-year-old, currently in charge of Strasbourg, has emerged as the preferred candidate, with confirmation of his appointment expected in the coming days. Local outlets the East Anglian Daily Times and Ipswich Star report that personal terms are close to being agreed, and an official approach to BlueCo – owners of the French club – is set to follow. Inside the club, there is no expectation of late drama; Ipswich do not anticipate any issues in finalising the deal.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was also in the frame. The former Manchester United manager held serious appeal as a high-profile option, but Ipswich have turned decisively towards O’Neil, a coach whose recent work has earned him a reputation as a problem-solver in difficult environments.

His Premier League story began at Bournemouth in 2022/23. Thrown into a relegation fight, O’Neil steadied a listing side and guided the Cherries to safety, only to be replaced by Andoni Iraola once the season was over. That early dismissal did little to dent his standing inside the game.

Wolves came next. O’Neil arrived at Molineux with the club in a state of flux and again brought structure and resilience, but his time there ended when he was sacked in December 2024. Talks about a possible return to Wolves were held in November 2025, yet he pulled out of the process, choosing not to revisit old ground.

His decision to head to France has since sharpened his profile. In just six months at Strasbourg, O’Neil has pushed the club into the latter stages of European competition and up the Ligue 1 table. Strasbourg reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League under his watch and finished eighth domestically, a run that has not gone unnoticed in England.

Ipswich are not only targeting O’Neil himself. He is expected to bring key lieutenants from his time at the Stade de la Meinau, with Tim Jenkins and Neil Critchley lined up as part of his backroom staff. That continuity of ideas and methods is likely to appeal to a club intent on building on McKenna’s work rather than ripping up the blueprint.

If Ipswich complete the move as planned, they will be handing the reins to a coach who has already survived the Premier League furnace, navigated European knockout ties and rebuilt his reputation abroad. The next question is simple and unforgiving: can O’Neil turn that experience into a new era of stability and ambition at Portman Road?