Ipswich backed to agree Gary O'Neil deal after 'unfair Wolves treatment'
Ipswich Town should be looking no further than Strasbourg boss Gary O'Neil for their next managerial appointment.
That is according to former Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the 43-year-old would be a far better option than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The pair have emerged as two of the early contenders for the vacancy at Portman Road, after Kieran McKenna stepped away from the job in surprise fashion.
Wyness is adamant that O'Neil is the correct choice to be the Tractor Boys' next boss, and feels that he would be a good fit for the board and the squad in place at the club.
The 43-year-old has been away from management in the Premier League since he was sacked by Wolves back in December 2024, having defied the odds to help them beat the drop the season before.
O'Neil took over from Liam Rosenior at Strasbourg back in January and led the French outfit to the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League.
Gary O'Neil perfect for Ipswich after 'unfair' treatment
Villa's former chief Wyness - who served as CEO at Villa Park between 2016 and 2018 and now runs a consultancy business advising elite clubs - believes that O'Neil was given "unfair treatment" during his time at Molineux.
He emphasised that he feels it was wrong for the boss to lose his job in that manner, and is clear that he is now the "obvious" choice for Ipswich.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness pointed to O'Neil as being the right man to lead Ipswich's survival fight.
"To me, the obvious one is Gary O'Neil. I don't think Ole is the right one for this. I think Gary would fit in well with (chairman) Mark Ashton and the team already there at Ipswich," he said.
"He's got the proven experience. He's done well at Strasbourg. He's had the experience of Wolves, I think he was unfairly treated at Wolves, and I think he'd be a good match for Ipswich. As I say, he's got the relevant experience. He's the right type of personality. He would fit in well.
"Ipswich have got to show some fight. O'Neil will lead that fight and get that spirit within the squad. I think he'll be well accepted by the squad, and he's got a point to prove having had the Wolves situation where I think he was treated rather unjustly, so I think it's clearly him."
Ipswich in line for £10m Kieran McKenna compensation
Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson told Football Insider last week that Ipswich are likely to have a £10million compensation clause in McKenna's contract.
The football finance expert noted that they would be entitled to that payment if the Northern Irishman were to join another club in the near future.
McKenna's decision to step down was due to personal reasons, but Borson feels that a return to the game at another club within the next year
Borson made it clear that the clause will undoubtedly have an expiry date as part of it, but also stressed that he doesn't expect it to come into play.