Town owner Marcus Evans says it’s unlikely that the new Blues boss will be appointed before the end of the season. Last night Mick McCarthy and his assistant Terry Connor left the club with Bryan Klug put in temporary charge for the final four matches.
"Appointing a manager is one of the most important - if not the most important - decision an owner of a football club will make,” Evans told the club site.
"I have started the process but I will take all the time I need to find the right person.
"A lot can happen around the end of the season with managers so I want to be in the best position I can be before making an appointment.
"I can’t rule it out completely but I don’t envisage confirming our next manager until the season is finished.”
A number of the potential candidates for the job - including former skipper and coach Tony Mowbray - are currently in work and are unlikely to be in a position to decide on their futures before the end of the season.
Lincoln boss Danny Cowley remains the bookies' favourite, 5-2 with Bet Victor, ahead of Blackburn manager Mowbray at 10-1, while other possible contenders such as Shrewsbury's Paul Hurst and Wigan's Paul Cook, both 16-1, also still have something riding on their seasons with their current clubs, as have Luton's Nathan Jones and St Mirren's Jack Ross, both 25-1.
Following the departure of Mick McCarthy, Ipswich Town owner Marcus Evans will be speaking on-camera for the very first time in an interview that will be made available to all #itfc supporters. pic.twitter.com/JTAyvk529B
— Ipswich Town FC (@Official_ITFC) April 11, 2018
Former Blues striker Shefki Kuqi, currently without a club and at 12-1, is among those to have formally applied for the job, while it's understood ex-Reading manager Jaap Stam, 33-1, is also one of those in the running. Another Dutchman, VVV-Venlo's Maurice Steijn, has been repeatedly linked.
It's understood Town are keen to look at recruiting from the younger crop of up and coming managers rather than a more senior figure.
Former England manager Steve McClaren, 10-1, and ex-Rangers, Brentford and Nottingham Forest manager Mark Warburton, 14-1, have been linked by the tabloids.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who was at Griffin Park to watch Saturday's game against Brentford, is also believed to be interested but appears very much an outsider having been sacked by Northampton recently, while Leicester City assistant boss Michael Appleton, 25-1, is another who could apply to become only the 16th full-time manager in the club's history.
Ex-loanee David Unsworth, 25-1, is also said to be keen but again would be a surprise choice given his lack of first-team management experience.
Portuguese boss José Gomes claimed he was in "early negotiations" with Town earlier in the week but again seems very unlikely to be in contention.