Ipswich Town chief executive Mark Ashton has revealed that there has been Premier League interest in several members of his staff as the Tractor Boys continue to cause waves in the Championship.
The East Anglian outfit brought their four-year stay in League One to an end last season, with manager Kieran McKenna steering the club to a second-placed finish. Their rich vein of form has continued into this season and they currently sit second in the Championship, with only goal difference preventing them from topping the table.
More importantly, Ipswich have an eight point advantage over Leeds United in third and there is an ever-growing optimism that they can return to the top tier for the first time since 2002.
Understandably, their form over the past 18 months has brought the spotlight to Portman Road, with McKenna in particular regularly linked with jobs in the division above. Although he committed his future to the club before the start of the season – penning a new four-year deal – his stock remains high and it seems only a matter of time before the Premier League comes calling.
The 37-year-old rose to prominence at Manchester United, where he was a first team coach alongside Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick under the stewardship of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He remained at the club following the Norwegian’s dismissal in November 2021, before taking the role at Ipswich a month later.
Ashton is all-too-aware that all eyes are on his head coach and addressed the idea of losing him in the near future. Speaking to East Anglian Times, the CEO said;
“Kieran is vitally important to us. He’s done extremely well and we were delighted to get him on that new contract. He’s helped us set the DNA of the football department for many, many years to come. I genuinely believe he will be with us for a long time to come.
“What we’ve also done, around Kieran, is appointed Premier League standard staff right across the board – both at the training ground and at the Portman Road site – and given them an environment to flourish.
“That’s the coaching staff of Martyn Pert, Lee Grant, Charlie (Turnbull), Rene Gilmartin etc. That’s Andy Rolls and the performance team, whose work sometimes goes quietly unnoticed. That’s the back office staff here at Portman Road too. Look at the team behind the team now – we’ve got depth everywhere.”
Continuing, Ashton revealed that McKenna isn’t the only person at the club attracting Premier League interest, with a number of staff having been targeted;
“Whilst I can understand you asking about the manager, it’s a natural thing to do, right now I’m fending off challenges from Premier League clubs for my other staff across the board. They’re sought after.
“The good thing for me is I hear those staff members say ‘I’m part of this rocket ship at Ipswich, I’m part of something very special, I’m going nowhere’. That’s heart-warming.”
The former Bristol City CEO isn’t naive though and knows that there will be a time when McKenna is no longer at the club. For this, he has a succession plan;
“My job is to plan for everything,” replied the Blues chief. “I have to try and be ahead of the curve in all areas of the football club – that’s what I’m expected to do.
“I’m looking right across the world at best practices and the next people in all positions.
“But as I said to you, I think Kieran is an absolute key member of our staff. He’s growing, he’s learning and developing with us. The great thing at the moment is that we’re all moving together at one pace.”
Ipswich will be hoping to maintain their promotion push when they return to action next weekend following the international break against West Bromwich Albion.
Writer’s View
Ipswich is an exciting place to be at the moment and it is easy to see why Ashton is unconcerned about the immediate future of his manager. McKenna looks destined for bigger things, but he is still young and he knows that learning his trade at Portman Road is the best thing for him at this stage of his career.
Whilst the Premier League looks a foregone conclusion for the former Manchester United coach, he will be hoping that he can achieve that with Ipswich.
Head of Writing
