Gary O’Neil set to leave Strasbourg and take over as Ipswich head coach

Gary O’Neil is poised to become Ipswich’s new head coach, with the 43-year-old expected to return to England from Ligue 1 Strasbourg.

There are only minor details to sort with O’Neil primed to succeed Kieran McKenna, who announced his wish to depart Ipswich after leading them to the top flight for a second time.

O’Neil joined Strasbourg, part of the BlueCo stable that owns Chelsea, in January, replacing Liam Rosenior, who accepted the Chelsea job after Enzo Maresca’s exit.

Last season, O’Neil led Strasbourg to eighth in Ligue 1 and they reached the semi-finals of the Conference League, in which they lost to Rayo Vallecano. Last November, O’Neil came close to returning to Wolves, his last job in the Premier League, but pulled out at the 11th hour amid reservations.

O’Neil has a longstanding relationship with Ipswich’s chief executive, Mark Ashton, who was involved in his signing at Bristol City, O’Neil’s penultimate club during his playing career. He counts Ipswich’s rivals Norwich among his former clubs as a player and last year he held talks with Southampton despite beginning his career at Portsmouth.

Elsewhere, Burnley are pushing for Craig Bellamy to be their next head coach after contacting the Football Association of Wales in order to land their No 1 target.

Burnley are seeking to replace Scott Parker after relegation to the Championship and were interested in Russell Martin, who has taken charge at Leicester City. Bellamy previously worked as an assistant to Vincent Kompany at Turf Moor and briefly worked as an interim head coach when Kompany departed for Bayern Munich in 2024.

Bellamy recently stated his desire to lead Wales at Euro 2028, which will begin in Cardiff, amid interest from Celtic, but he has also made no secret of the fact that he is attracted by the prospect of club management.

“Wales gave me this opportunity and one or two might not have because I was conscious I haven’t managed before,” Bellamy said this month. “It’s the best role in the world.”