Gary O'Neil is on the verge of becoming 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 guiding the club back to the Premier League for a second time.
O'Neil's Journey to Ipswich
O'Neil joined Strasbourg in January, a club within the BlueCo stable that also owns Chelsea, replacing Liam Rosenior. Rosenior had accepted the Chelsea job following Enzo Maresca's departure. Last season, O'Neil led Strasbourg to an eighth-place finish in Ligue 1 and guided them to the semi-finals of the Conference League, where they lost to Rayo Vallecano.
In November, O'Neil came close to returning to Wolves, his last Premier League role, but pulled out at the last minute due to reservations. He shares a long-standing relationship with Ipswich's chief executive, Mark Ashton, who was involved in signing O'Neil at Bristol City, O'Neil's penultimate club during his playing career. O'Neil also counts Ipswich's rivals Norwich among his former clubs as a player, and last year he held talks with Southampton despite starting his career at Portsmouth.
Burnley's Pursuit of Craig Bellamy
Elsewhere, Burnley are pushing for Craig Bellamy to become their next head coach after contacting the Football Association of Wales to secure their top 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 Turf Moor and briefly served as interim head coach when Kompany left for Bayern Munich in 2024. Bellamy recently expressed his desire to lead Wales at Euro 2028, which will begin in Cardiff, amid interest from Celtic. However, he has also been open about his attraction to 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."
