Brighton & Hove Albion went into the May Bank Holiday weekend believing that they would end it with their new manager.
HITC was told by sources close to Brighton that they were confident of striking a deal for Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna.
McKenna’s representatives have held talks with Chelsea whilst they also touched base with Manchester United – but once he was ruled out of taking charge as Stamford Bridge, Brighton believed that they were edging close to sealing his appointment.
Kieran McKenna is set to sign a new long-term deal at Ipswich
However, HITC has now been told by sources close to the situation that Brighton have been informed that McKenna now looks likely to remain with the Suffolk club’s majority shareholder Ed Schwartz working hard with the club’s CEO Mark Ashton to persuade the 38-year-old to commit his future to them.
McKenna is also set to be handed a new long-term deal at Portman Road and the news will be a huge boost to Town – who have enjoyed back-to-back promotions having been in League One as recently as 2022.
The news of McKenna’s new agreement is a huge disappointment to Brighton – who identified him very early as their leading candidate.
Former boss Graham Potter now an option for Brighton
Burnley’s Vincent Kompany was also someone they regarded very highly, but he has agreed to take charge of Bayern Munich.
Whilst disappointed, Brighton are already working hard on options and HITC has been informed that a return to the AMEX Stadium for Graham Potter is something the club are not ruling out.
Potter, who has been strongly linked with prospective roles at Manchester United and England, has been out of work since leaving Chelsea in 2023. Most recently he opted against taking charge at Dutch giants Ajax.
