Kieran McKenna to begin UEFA observer role as he explains Ipswich career break

Kieran McKenna is set to start work as a UEFA technical observer next Wednesday while remaining in no hurry to return to management. In an interview published by the Guardian on October 7, the former Ipswich Town manager outlined how he is combining time with his family with visits to other sporting organisations and renewed study of matches.

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His first UEFA assignment will be Shakhtar Donetsk against AEK Athens at Stamford Bridge, the Guardian reported. Since early September, McKenna has visited Bayern Munich, Wigan Warriors and Colorado Rapids, whose manager Matt Wells is a friend. He is also visiting clubs in Spain this week and working on foreign languages, including developing his Spanish.

McKenna, 40, said the decision to leave Ipswich crystallised during May's promotion celebrations after victory over QPR secured a return to the Premier League. It was the club's third promotion in five years. His departure was finalised in June, ending four and a half seasons in charge after a coaching career that had already spanned two decades.

He described the 2025-26 campaign as his most demanding at Ipswich. The club were expected to respond immediately to relegation, while members of the closely connected group that had driven their earlier rise were moving on. McKenna said keeping everyone together required considerable work and that he wanted to leave with Ipswich back in the top flight.

Family considerations were central to the break. McKenna and his wife have stayed in Ipswich, where their two children attend school. He described being able to share breakfast and bedtime with the children instead of leaving early for training. He also rejected the suggestion that concern about the reputational impact of another relegation had prompted his departure.

Although approaches about jobs have arrived, McKenna said they came too early after his Ipswich exit. For his eventual return, he wants an opportunity to develop players, pursue attacking football and build a connection with a club and its community. He also acknowledged that a new role could require immediate results, rather than only a longer-term building project.