Coming off of back-to-back promotions, at a club with a solid, settled, even “nourishing” structure and coherent leadership at the top with whom he’s apparently gotten along famously, one might wonder why Kieran McKenna might even consider leaving Ipswich Town. After all, they are now back in the Premier League after a long wait, and while staying in it may be harder than getting to it, if he’s truly as good as they say he is, surely he can figure out a way.
But according to the BBC, and others yesterday, “ambitious” McKenna is “keen to take the next step in his career”. His current contract runs through 2027; the club are looking to offer him a better deal but they are “expected to fail” to convince him with that to stay. They would be due £4m compensation, reportedly, were any team pinch McKenna from them — a fate to which they are essentially resigned at this point.
That said, The Guardian claim that McKenna has “given Ipswich no indication that he would like to move” and that he might be waiting to see how things shake out at Manchester United, his favorite club growing up and former employers. Things can change quickly in football however, and it would appear that Chelsea are shooting our shot.