"Most worried" - Tottenham, Man Utd claim made as Kieran McKenna's Ipswich Town future assessed | OneFootball

McKenna has continued to gain admirers despite Town's relegation.

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...

Despite Ipswich Town's Premier League dream only lasting one season, the same might not be said for their manager, Kieran McKenna.

The 38-year-old remains one of the most highly-rated in the country after his exploits at Portman Road, which saw the Tractor Boys rise from mid-table obscurity in League One at the time of his appointment back in December 2021, to competing with the elite of English football just three years later.

Despite investing heavily in a new-look squad, Ipswich have been unable to stave off relegation and will return to the Championship next season alongside Leicester City and Southampton, who they were promoted with just 12 months ago, with the disparity in quality and finances between the EFL and top-flight a whole different topic of discussion.

Given his remarkable feat of back-to-back promotions between 2023 and 2024 in East Anglia, the Blues were able to maintain the services of their boss this time last summer amid interest from Brighton, Chelsea and Manchester United, with the Northern Irishman committing to a fresh four-year deal.

However, with reports of a potential departure failing to dissipate, we asked our resident Ipswich fan pundit, Alex Wilkin, whether he sees McKenna staying at Town for the long haul, or whether an exit is more likely.

It has been reported by Football Insider that the hierarchy at Portman Road, fronted by owner, Mark Ashton, are preparing to resist offers from top-flight outfits for the highly-coveted manager amid links to Tottenham Hotspur and the Red Devils.

Unsurprisingly, given McKenna's history with the two clubs, it is the duo who are causing Wilkin to feel uneasy regarding his long-term future, although he admits he is more confident than last year when his stock was at an all-time high.

"I'm actually less worried about losing McKenna this summer than I was last summer," he told FLW.

"That's nothing to do with his reputation, which I don't think will have been impacted that much by the relegation, given how it happened and it being the second season that all three newly-promoted clubs have gone back down.

"It's more around the stability of the rest of the clubs in the Premier League," our Ipswich fan pundit explained. "I think the top 12-13 are all stable and all still competing for Europe, so I can't see any changes there.

"The ones below those have either changed manager with West Ham, Everton and Wolves. Vitor Pereira's done great at Wolves, so I can't see him leaving, Moyes has fitted in at Everton, which is unexpected. Graham Potter is potentially one who could go at the end of the season.

"But, I don't think McKenna would fancy going to a club that has sacked two managers, which leaves United and Tottenham, which are the two that I'd be most worried about given they're his former employers," Wilkin stated.

"He came through the youth academy at Tottenham and, obviously, did a lot of his coaching work at Manchester United.

"I think whoever loses the Europa League final - assuming they both get through this week - could be out of a job, potentially," he claimed. "They're the two who I'd be most worried about him leaving for.

"They're probably also the two that would happily pay his release clause, because I'm sure Mark Ashton secured a big release clause when he signed his new, improved contract last summer."

Kieran McKenna may be swayed by sentiment as Tottenham, Man Utd talk lingers

Of course, McKenna has built up a strong connection with those at Portman Road to the point where he may overlook the sentimental value of moving to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium or Old Trafford should the opportunity arise.

However, if they were to, it would be a swift route back into Premier League management, with the likes of Rob Edwards struggling to adapt to the change in pressure after an unexpected promotion and then returning to the second-tier as strong favourites in the promotion race, with the 42-year-old leaving Luton Town in January as the club's second successive relegation was confirmed last weekend.

The ins and outs of McKenna's current deal haven't been disclosed other than the fact it made him one of the country's highest-paid managers, although that could change once more as wage reductions after relegation have become the norm in order to balance the books.

However, if Ipswich are able to fend off interest in his signature once more, many outsiders will no doubt have the Tractor Boys as their early-season title favourites given the stronger managerial uncertainty currently occurring at the King Power Stadium and St Mary's respectively.