Brighton push up interest in Kieran McKenna to succeed Roberto De Zerbi

The Seagulls are looking for a new manager this summer, and the Northern Irishman’s name appears high on their list.

Brighton are interested in Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna as they seek a swift replacement for Roberto De Zerbi.

De Zerbi’s departure from Brighton was revealed on Saturday, and I’m told the news came as no surprise to many inside the club, since the Italian had fought with owner Tony Bloom over the club’s recruitment policies.

De Zerbi wants to boost the ante in the summer by bringing in more established players, however Bloom is dedicated to the model that has transformed Brighton from a Championship side to a Premier League fixture.

In retrospect, there was only ever going to be one winner, and it was a well-known fact in football circles that De Zerbi was open to new opportunities, having been heavily linked with the Bayern Munich vacancy as well as Liverpool, who chose Arne Slot as Jurgen Klopp’s successor.

Brighton are now poised to increase their interest in McKenna, who has built a superb reputation following back-to-back promotions in his first management position.

The Seagulls conduct regular, rolling checks on potential managerial choices, and McKenna is thought to rank highly on the indicators they monitor. He got promoted to the Premier League on a budget that was outside the top ten in the division.

While Ipswich would no doubt be anxious to keep the 37-year-old, the position will undoubtedly appeal to McKenna given Brighton’s reputation in the game for stability and serving as a springboard for managers to bigger things. The club is also one of the few that can invest considerably in the summer transfer window if they so desire, having sold Alexis MacAllister and Moises Caicedo for large sums last summer.He is an excellent, systematic coach and man manager, and Brighton are not the only Premier League club that believes he has the ability to move into a top position. McKenna has also been connected with Manchester United, where he was a member of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s coaching staff.