Ipswich Town Nears Appointment of Gary O’Neil as Head Coach

Ipswich Town are closing in on Gary O’Neil as their new head coach, with the club moving quickly to secure the 43-year-old as Kieran McKenna’s successor.

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 Strasbourg – is expected to follow. Inside Portman Road, there is no sense of jeopardy about the deal. Ipswich do not anticipate any late snags.

O’Neil has emerged from a competitive shortlist that also included former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, underlining the scale of the job and the attraction of a club on the rise. Ipswich, though, have fixed on a coach whose recent career has been defined by firefighting, fast learning and a knack for squeezing more out of a squad than many expect.

Premier League Journey

His Premier League story began at Bournemouth in 2022/23. Thrown into a relegation battle, he steadied a side widely tipped to go down and guided the Cherries to safety. The reward was brutal: replaced at the end of the season by Andoni Iraola as the club changed direction.

Wolves handed him a route straight back into the top flight. His spell at Molineux ended with his sacking in December 2024, a reminder of how unforgiving Premier League touchlines can be. Talks about a surprise return in November 2025 never got off the ground; O’Neil withdrew from the process, choosing not to reopen that chapter.

Strasbourg Success

So he crossed the Channel. At Strasbourg, O’Neil rebuilt his reputation in just six months. He took the club to the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League and delivered an eighth-place finish in Ligue 1, an eye-catching return that inevitably dragged his name back into English conversations.

Ipswich now want that same sharp edge and adaptability in Suffolk.

O’Neil is expected to arrive with a familiar inner circle. Tim Jenkins and Neil Critchley, trusted lieutenants from his time at the Stade de la Meinau, are set to form the backbone of his backroom staff, giving Ipswich an immediately coherent coaching team rather than a patchwork operation.

McKenna’s departure created a sizeable void at Portman Road. The appointment of O’Neil, if completed as anticipated in the coming days, would signal a deliberate choice: a young but battle-tested coach, hardened by survival fights, sackings and European nights, tasked with writing the next chapter of Ipswich Town’s resurgence.