Chelsea TV presenter Jason Cundy has expressed doubts about the club’s interest in Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna.
Todd Boehly and his Clearlake consortium have started the search for Mauricio Pochettino’s replacement after parting ways with the Argentine earlier this week. Despite ending the season strongly, Boehly and Chelsea’s key decision-makers could not reconcile their differences with Pochettino, leading to an amicable split.
Chelsea is now linked with several potential candidates to fill the vacancy, with Kieran McKenna quickly emerging as a frontrunner. The 38-year-old earned a reputation as one of the best young coaches during his time at Manchester United and was instrumental in leading Ipswich to Premier League promotion.
However, Chelsea may face competition for McKenna from Manchester United, should they decide to sack Erik ten Hag after the FA Cup final. Brighton has also identified McKenna as a possible replacement for Roberto De Zerbi.
Despite McKenna’s credentials, Chelsea TV presenter Jason Cundy is concerned that a move to Chelsea might be premature for McKenna, potentially leading to a fate similar to Graham Potter, who didn’t last a full season at Stamford Bridge.
“It seems utterly ridiculous to think this time last year he’d only just managed in League One. Now he’s being linked with Manchester United and Chelsea,” Cundy told talkSPORT. “I thought Brighton were a big enough step for him to go, ‘yes, 100 percent I’m going to leave’.
“It looks like he’s not signing a new contract at Ipswich, and at the moment he’s flavor of the month. I’d find it a very, very strange appointment. I can’t say I’d be delighted because he’s an unknown quantity. He’s never managed a game in the Premier League.
“Managing Ipswich… he’s done a remarkable job. Ipswich is a big club but in League One. We’ve seen how [Graham] Potter struggled with the step-up. Watch this space.”