Kieran McKenna Speculation persists

Speculation about Blues coach Kieran McKenna’s future continues, with Brighton, Manchester United, and Chelsea all apparently interested in the Town manager.

McKenna emerged as the early favourite to succeed Roberto de Zerbi at Brighton on Saturday, and he remains the odds-on favourite at 6/4 as of writing.

However, the outgoing De Zerbi is said to have recommended fellow Italian and former colleague Francesco Farioli as his replacement.

Farioli, De Zerbi’s goalkeeper-coach at Benevento and Sassuolo in Italy, is currently in charge of Nice, which finished sixth in Ligue 1 this season.

Meanwhile, according to the Evening Standard, Chelsea has contacted McKenna and Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim’s representatives as potential replacements if Mauricio Pochettino leaves this summer.

The former Spurs manager is set to hold meetings as part of an end-of-season evaluation in the coming days, with his future uncertain.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils, who were first linked with McKenna last week, have also spoken to the Blues manager’s representatives about returning to Old Trafford if Erik ten Hag leaves in the offseason.

If either of those teams – or anyone else – makes a move for the Northern Irishman, Town’s compensation has reportedly increased from £4 million to £6 million as a result of the Blues’ elevation to the Premier League.

When Sky News asked Blues CEO Mark Ashton about other teams’ interest in the Northern Irishman at the end of last week, he said: “Those are the problems that success usually brings. I’d rather face the challenges of achievement than those of failure.

“But Kieran’s been fantastic. He signed a new long-term deal last summer, and he’s been in the office every day since, working relentlessly by my side on recruitment, planning, analysis, and tactics for next season.”

He continued: “He’s been key to us, not only is his tactical and technical ability quite incredible but his values and the way he treats people and the way we work as a team has been key and I’m sure Kieran will be excited about pitting his wits against the best coaches in the world.”

When asked about potential interest from other clubs and whether his job at Town isn’t yet done following the Blues’ 2-0 victory over Huddersfield earlier this month, McKenna said: “No, I love it here, it’s a fantastic club, I’m so proud to be the manager of this football club, and I’ve worked so hard at it every day, so I give so much of myself and [so have] the people around me for the last couple of years. I’m just so focused on enjoying the journey.

“That sort of conjecture has been there for the previous two years, to be honest, and I’ve demonstrated devotion to the club through it, and I’m extremely glad that I’ve remained with it and accomplished what we have. There are some major and exciting steps ahead for the football club.”

McKenna is anticipated to attend Tuesday night’s LMA Awards, where he is a strong contender for the Championship title and maybe the overall prize, which was won by George Burley in 2001.

The Blues manager has already been crowned EFL Manager of the Season.