Gary O'Neil is set to become Ipswich Town's new head coach, with the 43-year-old expected to return to England from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg. Only minor details remain to be finalised before O'Neil succeeds Kieran McKenna, who announced his desire to leave Ipswich after leading the club to a second consecutive promotion to the Premier League.
O'Neil's recent role and achievements
O'Neil joined Strasbourg, part of the BlueCo group that also owns Chelsea, in January 2025, replacing Liam Rosenior. Under O'Neil, Strasbourg finished eighth in Ligue 1 and reached the semi-finals of the Conference League, where they lost to Rayo Vallecano. Last November, O'Neil came close to returning to Wolves, his last Premier League role, but pulled out at the last minute due to reservations.
Connections with Ipswich and past links
O'Neil has a longstanding relationship with Ipswich's chief executive, Mark Ashton, who was involved in signing him at Bristol City during O'Neil's playing career. O'Neil also counts Ipswich's rivals Norwich among his former clubs as a player, and he held talks with Southampton last year despite beginning his career at Portsmouth.
Burnley pursuing Craig Bellamy
Elsewhere, Burnley are pushing to appoint Craig Bellamy as their next head coach. The club has contacted the Football Association of Wales in an effort to secure their number one target. Burnley are seeking to replace Scott Parker after relegation to the Championship. They were also interested in Russell Martin, who has since taken charge at Leicester City.
Bellamy previously worked as an assistant to Vincent Kompany at Burnley and briefly served as interim head coach when Kompany left 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. However, he has also expressed interest in club management. According to Bellamy, "Wales gave me this opportunity and one or two might not have because I was conscious I haven't managed before. It's the best role in the world."
