Ipswich Town will be concerned if Roberto De Zerbi is appointed Barcelona manager this summer, as Brighton and Hove Albion could look to replace him with Kieran McKenna.
The Tractor Boys are flying under McKenna this season, and his excellent work at Portman Road will no doubt be putting Premier League clubs on red alert, including Brighton.
Spanish newspaper Diario Sport claims that Barcelona President Joan Laporta is considering the possibility of De Zerbi replacing Xavi, who will leave the Camp Nou this summer.
Nowadays, there is a managerial merry-go-round in England’s top flight with sackings and departures regularly happening, meaning managerial positions always become vacant.
There could be one at Brighton very soon, and McKenna may well be considered.
McKenna would be a good fit for Brighton
At the end of December, The Sun journalist Alan Nixon reported that both Brighton and Crystal Palace were interested in acquiring the services of McKenna.
However, with the recent appointment of Austrian boss Oliver Glasner at Palace, the Eagles won’t be going for McKenna this summer unless things go badly at Selhurst Park.
McKenna’s experience both in coaching and management make him an ideal fit for Brighton. After spells in charge of the under 18s at both Tottenham and Manchester United, McKenna was promoted to first-team coach at Old Trafford in 2018 before taking the Ipswich job in December 2021.
Having worked as part of the Spurs set-up when Mauricio Pochettino was there and at United when José Mourinho managed the club, McKenna has shown he has learned a lot.
Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, McKenna was involved a lot more with United’s first-team, which no doubt stood him in good stead in taking the Ipswich job.
