Ipswich Town transfer talk - Manager update, foreign strikers and goalkeeper dilemma

0:08Ross Halls:Hello everybody, it's me Roscoe and welcome to the latest edition of the Kings of Anglia Transfer Talk series where we keep you out of speed on all the latest links and rumours surrounding the Blues. AJ my friend, it's one week removed since Kieran McKenna's shock departure hasn't sunk in yet. I feel like I'm done and dusted with it. I just want a new manager in charge. We'll be speaking about that in today's show, but how are you? Yeah, I'm good. I like how we're just going to brush past the previous takes of this. Got there in the end, Ross, third time lucky. Yes, I'm good. Been a weird, weird week, hasn't it?

0:44And it's been one of those kind of in limbo weeks and there's been lots of names thrown around. Not actually that many managerial links. I don't think there have been actually that many names put out there as Ipswich are interested in XYZ. So, yeah, we'll provide an update on where we are with that one. I'm sure everyone's been keeping an eye on the bookies list, for example, in the last week or so, and different names have come up at different times. But, yeah, it's an interesting point for Ipswich Town. Fixtures tomorrow as well, which will be good fun. We'll be back, Ross and I, to discuss those tomorrow.

1:24pre-season announced. We've got some games. Yeah, plenty to get stuck into. But this is going to be purely manager chat, transfer chat. We've got some updates to bring you. We've got some things to discuss. So let's get into it.

1:39Ross Halls:Yes, indeed. The sexy stuff is three sort of foreign names, which is very sexy indeed. But the main talking point, AJ, on the social media, on just everything at Tristown is who will replace Kieran McKenna. And there's two favourites for the job, leading candidates in Oli Gona Solskjaer and Gary O 'Neill are the two, my friend. How do you feel about those being sort of the two leading candidates, contenders for the new town boss, who will become the 20th permanent manager? How are you feeling for both of them? Of course, you've got Premier League experience managing, playing as well. Oli, of course, legend at May United.

2:16Ross Halls:Gary played for multiple clubs. Yeah, how are you feeling about those two names?

2:23Yeah, I'll start with a little bit of context because I guess there's been loads of names put out there and obviously those are the two that have gained the most traction and the most noise we've had. I know this isn't how you pronounce it, but I'm just going to go with it, Kjetil Knutson. That is not the right way to pronounce it. I have Googled it and have now forgotten how to say it, but he won't be the next Ipswich manager. He's had back surgery. It looks like Liam Rossini is out of the picture having turned down an opportunity with Nice. I've seen he's been attracting some interest with Paris as well.

2:55So the way that we understand it at the moment is that don't expect anything left field. It looks increasingly likely that the next manager of Ipswich Town will either be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Gary O 'Neill. A lot of noise at the moment around those two. I think Ipswich are still in the process of deciding which route to go down. There's very key differences between those. A lot of noise about has Solskjaer visited Playford Road, things like that. We don't think there's anything like that at the moment, as our understanding, but they are the two candidates that seem to be the front runners and one of those two will take the job and are both interested in becoming the next town boss.

3:48So it's going to be an interesting few days to see what happens next. Going back to your question then, how I feel about that. I feel like you're about to then come back to me and ask you that.

4:02Ross Halls:I was going to just say, sorry, I was going to jump in. It's been a lot of mixed reactions, I think. But then I was looking at these sort of options. There's not many managers out there at the moment. managers who maybe in town's reach at the moment because of certain jobs but there's a mixed reaction for you being maybe more of an outsider man who covers the club and maybe not got the fan in you, you're just thinking two managers who have got experience but maybe not big, big names No, and I don't think that Ipswich are necessarily going to go out and get a big, big name I don't know that there would be someone who would fall into the right style, the right personality and also be within reach.

4:45They're not going to go and appoint Pep. Let's get that one done. It's not going to be that kind of name or even anything close to that. And I think even, say, had he not have ruled himself out of most jobs quite early, it probably wouldn't have been a Thomas Frank or even an Ange Postacoglu or someone like that. So you're looking at a pool of managers where naturally, and it's going to be the case for many teams in and around where which we'll expect to be next season, you've got to either take a risk on having someone who doesn't have the experience, or you're looking at someone that probably has had a failure elsewhere on their CV.

5:21And at the moment, as a Premier League team, you probably want the latter, because failing at a club does not mean that you're a bad manager. That's not how it works. There are various different factors for that. and yeah I don't know exactly who's been spoken to and into there's plenty of very interesting candidates out there at the moment that Steve Cooper for example who I thought would have been someone quite high up on the list Rob Edwards has been available posting Instagram photos of himself on the beach having a nice glass of wine after being sacked by wolves and people like that as well but these seem to be the two that they've they've landed on as realistic coming in with enough pedigree and enough experience.

6:03And I think it's very clear that Ipswich have wanted to go after a manager that does have experience in the Premier League. And they both ticked that. Let's discuss both then. Let's get into it. Shall we start with Gary O 'Neill? Let's do a bit of Gary O 'Neill. Gary O 'Neill, he was initially touted as kind of the front runner and was the early favourite for the job, was mentioned by TalkSport and a few others. And I think he's someone that Mark Ashton's been quite keen on for a while, obviously knowing that there will come a point that the club will need to replace Kieran McKenna for whatever reason.

6:42I think that with his list of managers, that he's always stressed that he has been keeping. I think that Gary O 'Neill has been someone in that mix for quite a lot of it. And you can see why in that for the stage that Ipswich are in now, it's about trying to stabilise and consolidate in the Premier League. and he's done that. He's done that pretty well with the jobs that he's had. He took a Bournemouth team that were really poor and looked destined to get relegated and kept them in the league and was only sacked what felt really harshly at the time because Bournemouth wanted to kind of progress and go into a more advanced style with Iroh Ola and obviously that was successful in them getting into Europe and then he had that Wolves spell and again kept them in the league and the second season was harder and that needs to be scrutinised and looked at But overall, clear things to take from him.

7:32He can be quite pragmatic. He's very flexible and adaptable in his tactics. I think that he adjusts to how the opposition will want to play more than anything. If he comes up against City, it might be a back five. It might be a mid or low block. It might be playing on the counter. If he's playing against a team that are weaker, it may be more possession heavy. and things like that. So there's that element of things. I know that fans won't be maybe enamoured by the appointment and there might be a bit of work to win some of them over, but I think solid is the best way of putting it with Gary O 'Neill.

8:15Maybe he doesn't come across as the incredibly inspiring personality, but how many people said that about Kieran McKenna when he was first appointed? so yeah I think that for me he's kind of low ceiling low floor I think he would give it such really good chance of staying up and maybe it wouldn't give them the platform to kick on and do a Sunderland or something like that but you know what you're going to get Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hasn't managed in England since 2021 but of course has managed at Manchester United legendary former player for Manchester United. He spent numerous years there, started his career at Mulder as a manager, then was at Cardiff.

8:56He did get them relegated. That was a poor Cardiff team and that was also more than a decade ago now. Then at Manchester United where some really good bits, some less good bits. Did he suit what they needed at the time for a bit? They were still finishing around the title position, around third, second that they had for a bit. He's managed big names. He's got a really big reputation. and then have a period out of the game before coming back and managing in Turkey with Besiktas, which was very brief, and I wouldn't look into that too much because Turkey is a managerial graveyard, and I don't think that that can be judged too firmly for someone like Solskjaer.

9:39And he's the continuity candidate. He knows Martin Pertt. He knows Mick Court, the director of recruitment. He knows key figures at the club. He's worked with McKenna because he's worked with McKenna. So there is that continuity element there. Coming with the reputation probably helps him. And tactically, I've seen some question marks over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. But I think it could work because he's a counterattacking manager who thrives off pace and athleticism. And that is what you need in the Premier League. And that is probably what you need for a team that might be towards the bottom of the division to really give yourself a strong chance.

10:19And that's what Ipswich lacked last time around. So if he was the man and he was well-backed, I think that could be an exciting one. It keeps the core there. Martin Pert would definitely be able to stay on if that's what he wanted to do. Existing relationship with Mick Court. They'll know what he wants. Definitely question marks, of course, about the fact that he's only managed a handful of games since leaving Manchester United. Maybe some question marks over that spell at Manchester United. but definitely there's a higher ceiling there albeit a lower floor at the same time. So that's how I see those two candidates.

10:53I don't have any feeling or steer really at the moment which one is the more likely. I'd say if you put a gun to my head and told me to say yeah exactly as Ross is now doing which one I'd say is the more likely the two would probably lean towards O 'Neill but there's no basis for that.

11:10Ross Halls:It's not having understood anything. It's just a feeling at the moment but don't expect a left field candidate. Don't expect a huge shift. Barring any major shocks, I would imagine that we will be seeing either Gary O 'Neill or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the next Ipswich Town manager replacing Kieran McKenna. Okay, watch this space. It's pros and cons for both of these managers and I like things. I don't like things. Like with Ole, yeah, he hasn't managed England since that may not spell it. that in Turkey, I just wouldn't want to manage in Turkey. It just sounds like a bit of a varsity case all the time.

11:48Ross Halls:Of course, Gary O 'Neill is at Stragsport, so you'll have to spend a bit of money to get him out of his contract there. I'm sure Gary O 'Neill has got ambitions to come back to England after the Bournemouth and Wolves spell. I love the little fun fact about Oli Goner, Solskjaer's family, and his son, who are town supporters. So I bet they're pushing their dad, like, oh, that'd be amazing, and that connection already. and although the last time we had a main-hearted, former main-hearted legend come to town in Roy Keane, that didn't really end up very good. So hopefully that's a different story for Oli.

12:21Ross Halls:I've got a question to you, Ross. I realise you're about to go into an O 'Neill bit there, but you talk about Solskjaer and you're going to talk about O 'Neill in a minute, but how much do you reckon fan sentiment comes into this? Because I think that both of them come in with fans may be cautious, I think is the best way of putting it. I think that if you put out a poll among the fans of who they prefer, it probably lands more towards Solskjaer. Do you reckon that that is going to be important in the mind of Mark Ashton, knowing that if you do, hypothetically, let's say that the fixtures tomorrow aren't the kindest and you might end up with a tough start, that there might be more work to do for one of them to win over the fans than the other?

13:08Would you, If you're Mark Ashton, how big a part would that play in your mind?

13:13Ross Halls:I don't think that big. I think he'll have a little moment to think about that sort of it. But I don't know. I don't think so. I think you've got to be ruthless. You can't be too sentimental on that sort of side of thing because it is such a big job to come in. It's just town, 20th permanent manager in the club's history in 90 years of professional football. It's crazy, really, to think about it. I think, as I've said before, Watford, they've had like 20 managers in the last 12 years or something stupid so um yeah i don't think it's gonna add too much of it because you can't have that much sentiment in current modern day football so like the gary o 'neill probably come with him i don't know if people think too much about it he of course played for norwich before but then we've had managers like that that joe royal played for norwich um paul lambert of course technically one of their best ever managers because he'd gotten and promoted.

14:05Ross Halls:Paul Cook had a little spell there as well, so we've had that sort of connection before. Can you see the positives there, though, in the same? I think that with Solskjaer, there's a lot of people know a lot about his, you can talk about his reputation. I think that it came at a period where there was so much focus on United wasn't there, and it's probably, I know that he didn't win anything with Manchester United, but it was a strong spell that they had in quite a tumultuous period, I would say. Maybe offered that bit of stability at times and got fans on side, probably by being the person that he was.

14:45With O 'Neal, I think that he's maybe harder to judge from what I've seen, where he obviously had that season at Bournemouth where he saved the club and then got sacked. He was seen as very harsh at the time, as I mentioned. Had the time at Wolves where we saw some really good stuff with the way that he kept them up. But that second season, maybe one of the red flags that I would have had would have been the way that his players were fighting each other on the pitch and punching Ipswich security guards in the face. How do you see them with O 'Neal from what you've seen of him? Obviously, probably less so from a Strasbourg perspective, but from Bournemouth and Wolves, do you think that that could be the right fit with what Ipswich need, with the importance of essentially staying in the division?

15:33Ross Halls:Yeah, he's been there, done that, hasn't he? I know at Wolves, he didn't really get the opportunity to help them stay up. I know in the end they did because it was Towne who was the team that got relegated because of Wolves' form and us. Obviously, deep down, we knew we were down when we lost, let's say, in February time against Southampton. But yeah, I think there's just been so many mixed reactions. I remember bumping into one of my mates playing five-a-side and he just sort of said, you know, I want Gary O 'Neal. and that sort of shocked us all around us because like really um but maybe he just gets tarnished with that because of you know his previous spell and maybe he's not that sort of sexy name that you want um but for me we've got to stay up in the Premier League and if he can do the job he's done that Bournemouth did a really good job there um I know he's gone to France and that's a sort of interesting move like sort of Liam Rossini I went there then he got poached by Chelsea because that link Gary Neal of course followed suit and it sounds like he's he's done an okay job there I think they want to keep him don't they as well um so it's it's just a such an interesting appointment because none of us were ready for this were we we're just no one were ready for Kieran McKenna to have that shock departure and um I'm sure Mark Ashton has some candidates in mind I know there's other managers and other young managers he would have gone down that route but we can't go down that route for the Premier League we need to find someone who's got experience who's available um as i said it's pros and cons for both i'll be interested to see what a1 in the comments down below share your thoughts who's it going to be ross i've said i've said if you put a gun to my head i think that and again there's no insight into who it is going to be of those two uh yet apart from the only feeling that i've said is that we're quite confident it will be one of those two that will be the next manager if i said to you what's mark ashton going to do, what would you say is the most likely?

17:30Ross Halls:Getting away from the social media and in the nose, because at the moment it's looking like it's going to be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but because of Gary O 'Neill's sort of background, and funny enough, Mark Ashton and Gary O 'Neill have got a bit of a crossover, because Gary O 'Neill played at Bristol City when Mark Ashton was there, and I'm sure there were some interactions, and maybe when, of course, when he signed, I'm sure there was that interaction there, getting the contract sorted. And I'm sure Mark Ashton's been following Gary O 'Neill's coaching career because I'm sure he just likes all the young upcoming coaches.

18:03Ross Halls:So I'm thinking in Mark Ashton's mind about going down that same route, Gary O 'Neill is more, I feel more and more likely with him. But because of all the social media noise, it's like, oh, you've gone social, it's been spotted here, been spotted here and all that. If you put a gun to my head, I think he's going to go for Oli. but I would not be surprised if it is, Gary. I like it. And I've gone the other side. So between the two of us, we've gone for different candidates that we think it's going to be, but neither of us would be surprised if it's the other one. So yeah, stay tuned. I'm sure that we'll hear soon enough.

18:41But yeah, two interesting candidates for this job.

18:46Ross Halls:Yes, indeed. I just want it to get done and dusted sooner rather than later, because I don't mind a saga, but I can't wait for a summer though, AJ, where we don't have like a management saga. We've had the Kieran McKenna, like last three years, it's been Kieran McKenna, will he go, will he stay? He did stay for two years and then of course this year was the shock departure, but we'll keep updating everybody, check our website and we'll react to it as quick as we can when it does drop the news. But I'm looking forward to the fixtures. That is when you know the season is getting started. The 2026-2027 season.

19:25Ross Halls:Who do you want opening game, Ross? Oh, do you want it to be? Do you know what? If it's Oli, I know it's a tough one. I may not. Because, yeah, that's what it is, isn't it? And that's another thing with Oli, though. You can have a bit of a circus, I think, with him. A bit of a media, especially that first month where he gets appointed in these first few games because the media were attached to it. And I don't want them to think, oh, it's Oli gone and Solskjaer's It's Rich Town, because they may use that. I know the Roy Keane, when he got appointed, it was just everyone was around. So that is maybe another con with Oli, potentially.

20:00Ross Halls:You're going to have all that sort of media. I'm interested to see how Coventry handled that. Obviously, they've had it for a couple of years now, but this is Frank Lampard's Coventry City in the Premier League, so that might be an interesting dynamic. Definitely. But going back to your question, open day, I always like a home game to kick off the season. We had Liverpool last summer round. Not that. Maybe not. Maybe not as big as that. Although Liverpool, you know, they've got a new manager and stuff and they didn't have a great season. They did last time as well. Yeah, true. And they went on to win the Premier League, didn't they?

20:34Ross Halls:So maybe not them. So maybe, yeah, I know you've done a piece, check out online, everybody. Is that okay if I tease the first game you said? Yeah, go on then. You can tease the first game. Hull City away or Fulham, isn't it? A home or something? Yeah, so Hull was the one that I picked out purely because I just think there's a lot of work to be done there, to be honest. There's a lot of work in that squad. They're probably, with the squad that they've got, and I expect them to spend heavily and be competitive next year, I think they have one of the worst promoted teams we've seen in the last decade.

21:12And I think that's going to take a bit of time for them to find their feet. They've got the threat of a points deduction coming. They have to sell around £6 million a player by the end of the month to avoid a likely six-point deduction. I think they'll be a good team next year. I think they'll be a competitive team, and I think the owner will throw money at it, but I do wonder if they might find things hard at the start.

21:41Ross Halls:Although that's just not sexy, is it, at the start of the season? No, but I don't want sexy. I want points. I want wins. True. I want a home game to kick the season off and someone maybe mid-low road or why not main-eyed? So that will be a tricky game potentially. But there's some people making comments about you want maybe a team who have got a lot of players at the World Cup because then they won't be up to speed and all that. But wasn't that a case, I think that was one season, was it the Euros when we got to the Premier League last time? The Euros played. so but yeah fixtures out 10 a.m tomorrow I will react to you I'll do a live reaction and then me and AJ will do a video a podcast to break it all down and discuss it as a whole and look at our 10 months ahead our calendars to be filled in with all the games home and away and all that stuff but AJ let's get to the sexy stuff there's not a new manager in charge just yet but there is players that get linked because it doesn't stop transfer rumours do not stop and we've got three players, as I mentioned earlier in the chat, foreign names.

22:47Ross Halls:I'm going to start with a name. I'll let you sort of say his name, but it dropped, as we were just about to record, the rumour from Spain. He's a Cameroonian international, 22-year-old forward. Karl is his first name. You'll take the rest of it. Yeah, Karl Eta Ejong. Isn't that difficult? Really? No. If he signs, then I'm sure that you'll be okay. Eta Ion. Two words, the surname. Yeah, really interesting link this, and one that I'd probably... I've been aware of him for a little while, but I thought he would have been out of Ipswich's reach. He has previously been linked to Barcelona. They ended up kind of tailing away from that move.

23:34I know he was linked with Russia recently as well. 5 '11 Cameroon international who has spent his entire senior career in Spain first with Canis then with Villarreal now finds himself at Levante who seem to have just like this massive crop of really talented young strikers I don't know how it's happened so that's the first link we're going to talk about, Levante as well, they have a team that are currently being spoken about as part of the investment structure, which is interesting as well. That is right, isn't it? I'm not getting confused with another team at the moment. Yeah. I'll check for you.

24:18Ross Halls:Keep talking. No, it is. It's Levante. Clara Vista are in discussions about adding Levante as well as Frosinone to their structure. Would not be a multi-club deal. We wouldn't have like a Palace situation, for example. I digress. Anyway, back to the transfer talk. um yeah et a young really good powerful young striker who's attracted a lot of interest um and has helped levante survive in la liga they finished 16th last year um and he's proven to be a really important player for them got seven goals four assists in 33 games 18 of those came as starts um he's a poacher he gets in the box he scores he's physical um his attacking numbers are really good.

25:01He's a good chance creator. He's good in the air. He's actually really solid defensively. So he's a lot of what you want when you're looking at kind of let's say the Liam De Laat profile. I don't think he's too dissimilar from that and also really good in the box. He's primarily used as a bit of an impact at Levante for the second half of the season. But yeah, the report's coming out that Ipswich would be interested in signing him. That's come from Cadena Ser in Valencia, who I think we've somehow referenced about a million times because there's been so many different Valencia-based links with Ipswich.