Solskjaer New Favourite For Town Job
Tuesday, 16th Jun 2026 18:16

Former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is now the bookies’ favourite for the vacant Town manager’s job.

The Norwegian has been among those in the upper reaches of the betting since Kieran McKenna, who was on Solskjaer’s staff at Old Trafford, announced his surprise departure last week.

Solskjaer, who is understood to have been among the candidates to have been spoken to by the Blues, is now priced at 5/4 by BetVictor.

Strasbourg boss Gary O’Neil, also believed to have been sounded out by the club, is at 7/4 with the same bookmaker.

Bodø/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen, who underwent back surgery today, is now out to 5/1 with Brendan Rodgers at 6/1 and Cardiff manager Brian Barry-Murphy having drifted to 16/1.

Solskjaer, 53, left his last job at Besiktas after only eight months in August 2025.

Having been in charge of Manchester United’s reserves, the former striker’s first senior managerial role was in Norway with Molde between 2011 and 2014, winning the league title twice and the Norwegian FA Cup once.

A spell at Cardiff followed from January to September 2015, the Kristiansund-born boss having been unable to prevent the Bluebirds from dropping out of the Premier League, before a disappointing start to their Championship campaign.

Solskjaer, whose wife’s family and son are understood to be Town supporters, returned to Molde, where he had also had a spell as a player, for another three years before he made his return to Manchester United in 2018, seeing the Red Devils to second in the Premier League and the Europa League final in 2020/21 before being sacked in November 2021.

A close friend of departing boss McKenna from their time at Old Trafford, Solskjaer has been spotted at a number of Town games in recent seasons, often alongside current United boss Michael Carrick.

Town assistant manager Martyn Pert, who remains at the club as it stands, was also part of Solskjaer’s Red Devils backroom team.

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E_I_E_I_E_I_O added 18:19 - Jun 16 The very fact Knutsen is 2.5 with one firm and 9.0 with another should very much tell you the odds mean absolutely nothing. Anyone taking any note of them is a fool.
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Rimsy added 18:20 - Jun 16 Excellent, hope this happens. Beginning to worry it was going to be Rodgers. Some of the backroom staff would hopefully stay on and minimise upheaval.
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Somersetractor added 18:23 - Jun 16 KM could then return next season as his coach. Perfect.
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jas0999 added 18:23 - Jun 16 Whoever we appoint will divide opinion. OGS is by no means a bad choice, but I’d like to see an overhaul of the back room staff - who frankly didn’t do great the last time we were in the PL.
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bluelad7 added 18:27 - Jun 16 Martyn Pert, Massively underrated and definitely the foundations of a fantastic coaching system that we have seen for the last four or so years. For him to have somebody come in and work with him that he has previously worked with might be the best approach to the coming season. In town and in Ashton and the board I trust. I would deffo not be against OGS.
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Lukeybluey added 18:27 - Jun 16 If he can steer us to a 17th place finish then I welcome Ole my boy!
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RetroBlue added 18:28 - Jun 16 Was he always our target, or is this because we cant get who were after ? OGS has long been a regular visitor to PR since KMcK has been manager so almost a natural transition id have thought... just a bit confused with all " favorites" for the job. Who will it be tomorrow i wonder?
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Paulc added 18:30 - Jun 16 Are we literally going to get anew ‘favourite’ update every time someone sticks £20 on a candidate? Betting odds react every time someone takes a punt it is no indication whatsoever on who the next boss will be unless the price swing massively to huge odds on, like it did right before Roy Keane was announced.
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blues1 added 18:37 - Jun 16

Retroblue. Odds with the bookies are based on people betting. Wouldnt be surprised if half the names on the betting lists have never even been in the frame for the job. There's normally multiple names listed in the odds for managerial jobs for any club. Not just us. Bookies will often put names up and wait for the bets to come in. Maybe theres been so many favourites, bcse theres not actually that much between any of the candidates. Or simply just different people having their own opinions on who should get it. Who knows. Guess we'll find out soon who its gonna be.

churchmans added 18:46 - Jun 16 Phuck me i feel underwhelmed by the managers we are being linked with! Must trust ashton i suppose and the process
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Bazza8564 added 18:56 - Jun 16

I read the negativity on here with my usual disappointment. OGS has PL experience, has a long record of working with Pert and the backroom team include MU recruitment people.

Just who do people think we are going to get??

Sorry, but people who are disappointed with the linked names, are you expecting Ancellotti, Conte or Mourinho, Slott or Klopp to down tools and rush to manage Ipswich in what is going to be, at best, a tough season???

Come on people, as much as we all love ITFC the football world views us as a side that was mid table league one 4 years ago, the fact that we have a chance to get Ole here with his experience and hs ability to attract talent is a massive Coup. Time for some reality please.

planetblue_2011 added 18:59 - Jun 16 Ole ole ole oi oi oi
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armchaircritic59 added 19:03 - Jun 16 Bookies thrashing around like a fish trying to escape a net. Throw enough darts, they'll hit the bullseye eventually! May have hit it this time ( or not ), I think we are very soon finding out.
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Tedray added 19:08 - Jun 16 This is all very depressing surely there is better out there OGS is just hanging around for another pay day.
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Woodbridgian added 19:09 - Jun 16 You really wonder how much money has actually been bet on any of the “favourites ” I suspect very little and the bookies are trying to create a market. Time will tell I suspect another favourite tomorrow
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Jazzy71 added 19:19 - Jun 16 OGS would be my choice, Rodgers too, he has a very reasonable career and you can't blame him for the mess at Leicester. Not Gary O'Neil or Scott Parker.
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Gforce added 19:26 - Jun 16 God help us,did a terrible job at Cardiff and a very average job at Man Utd. Hopefully the bookies have got this one very wrong.
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Linkboy13 added 19:34 - Jun 16

Solskjaer failed at Manchester United was a disaster at Cardiff and only lasted eight weeks at Besiktas this is definitely a manager with experience bad experience. If his name wasn't Solskjaer with his record nobody on here would be backing him. We have to be realistic though and out of all the candidates Rodgers, O'Neil, Knutsen and everybody else have better records than Solskjaer.

tetchris added 19:36 - Jun 16 Probably bring in his mate Roy Keane as Assistant Manager
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Bazza8564 added 19:58 - Jun 16 Linkboy, 8 months, sacked because they didnt qualify for Europe, it's hardly a capital offence given they were 21 points off top in the January Remeber a fella called Robson who got sacked at Fulham after 10 months?
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PortmanTerrorist added 20:00 - Jun 16 Linkboy13 that is a poor representation of his career esp at United. Not his biggest fan, think we could aim higher, but he is the obvious continuity candidate whether we like it or not.
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WeWereZombies added 20:10 - Jun 16 Would prefer it if reports and comments used the monophthong in his last name.
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runaround added 20:24 - Jun 16

This feels like an appointment that will cause the least upheaval at the club with him having worked with a number of the back room staff previously. There doesn’t seem to be an obvious choice for the role so we just have to see how it goes and get behind whoever the new manager is. I echo some other comments about how negative so many of the comments are about the potential manager. Makes you wonder what they would have said Sir Alf and Sir Bobby’s appointments if social media and fans forums existed in those days!
There are a large number of other clubs fans who would love to be in our position so let’s just enjoy the ride

Klassic_Ben added 20:24 - Jun 16 Wouldn’t be surprised to see someone else as the new favourite tomorrow! Though Ole is probably the most obvious given his similarities & links with McKenna. Either way as others have pointed out we could do a lot worse…
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Eeyore added 20:26 - Jun 16 I had assumed he was being lined up for the job. Because of connections with McKenna and the fact that he clearly has been following Ipswich
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