Manager Kieran McKenna says it wouldn’t have felt right to have led a team other than Town this season, despite interest from Saturday’s opponents Brighton and Hove Albion following the Blues’ back-to-back promotions.

McKenna is understood to have come close to joining the Seagulls towards the start of the summer - when he also spoke to Chelsea and Manchester United - before ultimately committing to a new four-year deal with the Blues.

Quizzed on Brighton’s interest, the Northern Irishman said: “I don't think it's ever respectful really to talk about these things. Firstly, to this fantastic football club, I'm so happy and proud to be here.

“We've been on an incredible journey and every day I'm the manager of this club I'm very proud to be and want to continue to be for a long time to come.

“Brighton are an excellent football club as well. I think everyone in world football admires the way that they've built the club, the work that the owners did and the way that they've progressed every season - the models that they've built, both recruitment models and playing models, the investment that they've put into the stadium, into the training ground, so many things that they've done well. 

“And I think for us as Ipswich Town and for so many clubs, they are a really good example of a lot of good practice and a lot of good areas.

“We're looking forward to facing them this weekend. Again, they've recruited well this summer, I'm sure, with both their management and with the players that they've added. And it's going to be a really good challenge.

“But my full focus is on Ipswich Town and I'm really proud to go to every team we go to this year as manager of this club.”

Asked whether the speculation regarding his future had been a distraction, McKenna said: “I don't think distraction is the right word because it's the off-season and everyone's on holiday, although I wasn't at that time.

“And pretty soon after a short holiday that most people took after the end of the season and the celebrations, I don't know the time scale, but maybe within a week or ten days of that, I'd signed a new contract at Ipswich.

“No, I don't think distraction is the right word. We had a really good off-season of rest and building and preparing for the big season ahead.”

Given Brighton were a more established Premier League side, McKenna was asked whether it was a decision made more with the heart than analytically.

“I think without speaking about any particular clubs or situations, as I've said, I was really keen and really positive and really happy to be the one leading Ipswich Town in the Premier League,” he added.

“And anything other than that wouldn't have felt right this season. I'd like to think I’d be a big part, not by myself by any means, but as part of the management here, the staff here and an amazing group of players who have achieved what we achieved over the past two and a half seasons, and to lead the club back to the Premier League for the first time in 22 years was an opportunity that I didn't want to miss. 

“I know the realities of that then. As any newly promoted team, you're going to face an awful lot of challenges in the season ahead for a newly promoted team who've come from League One in the space of two years.

“It was always going to be a challenging season. It was a really challenging summer in many different ways, trying to prepare the team and the club and the amount of change that we had to make.

“We know we're going to have a lot of challenges over the course of the season, we know that we're going to lose a lot more games than we have over the last couple of seasons.

“But being the manager to lead the club into the Premier League after everything we've achieved and the journey that we've been on anything other than that this summer wouldn't have felt right as the right decision.

“Even with the difficult summer that we've had and the challenging start in terms of Man City and Liverpool, now we go to Brighton, who've had a fantastic start and have top, top, top-class Premier League players.

“I'm delighted that I'm here. I'm really happy to be here and I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying the challenges and I'm determined to enjoy the season that we have and do my absolute best to make this another great season for the club.”

Photo: Action Images

jayceee added 17:18 - Sep 12 Some crappy questions in there, but as usual he handled them perfectly. Trust him - he's a Doctor.
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fallyblue added 17:21 - Sep 12 We are also delighted that you are here, the majority of the players we signed over the summer would not have come if it hadn’t been for the draw of McKennaball
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Pessimistic added 18:52 - Sep 12 Kieran McKenna is one of the most intelligent and articulate guys in football management and he suggests above that he wants to stay with us for a long time. If he does, I see another statue being built to accompany, Sir Alf, Sir Bobby and the late great Kevin Beattie!
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victorysquad added 18:57 - Sep 12 Those 10 days were like 10 years. Kieron just needs to ride the wave of positivity, we are on the same trajectory as Brighton just a couple of years behind, but i believe we have greater potential. Ramsey, Robson, McKenna. It is written in the stars and we are all 1,000% behind the ownership group, the CEO, the manager and of course the players. We are Ipswich Town and we will rule supreme once more, buckle up and enjoy the journey, because this is what dreams are made of.

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ArnieM added 21:27 - Sep 12 What will be, will be. I'm just so proud of our Club again. It has the " feel" of those early says under a young Sir Bobby Robson, (without the wine)!
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armchaircritic59 added 00:31 - Sep 13 Just something of interest, and hopefully more than a coincidence! The then Alf Ramsey, Bobby Robson and now Kieran McKenna were all age 35 when they put pen to paper here. They say things come in threes!
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