Brighton are 'confident' of beating Chelsea to hiring Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna - but eye Graham Potter as a back-up plan

Brighton are reportedly confident of beating Chelsea to Ipswich boss McKennaThey could move to bring back Graham Potter if they fail to win over McKenna  Chelsea are 'baffling'... Mauricio Pochettino has NOT failed - where do the Blues go from here? Listen to the It's All Kicking Off! Podcast 

Brighton are reportedly confident of beating Chelsea to Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna.

The Seagulls are seeking a new manager after parting ways with Roberto De Zerbi at the weekend.

McKenna is one of the game's brightest young managers after guiding Ispwich to back-to-back promotions to the Premier League.

Now Brighton have him in their crosshairs, with former manager Graham Potter as a back-up option, according to The Times.

McKenna has a deal until 2027 at Portman Road, with the compensation required to untangle him believed to be between £4million and £6m.

Brighton are reportedly confident of beating Chelsea to Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna

They reportedly see Graham Potter, who managed them before moving to Chelsea, as a back-up option

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Chelsea parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday night but there are fears about their hire-and-fire culture under Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.

Meanwhile, Brighton are a more stable club for aspirational managers to hone their craft under owner Tony Bloom.

Both Potter and De Zerbi significantly enhanced their reputations during their time at the Amex Stadium.

McKenna is a boyhood Manchester United fan and has worked at the club as a coach.

He may prefer to wait and see if that job, occupied by Erik ten Hag, becomes available this summer.

While he has a contract until 2027 at Ipswich, the chances of him signing a new, longer-term deal are understood to be slim.

The Sun reported that the Tractor Boys extended a £5m-per-year offer to McKenna, with his current deal valued at £1.2m per season.

McKenna has been at Ipswich since December 2021, taking over when they were 12th in League One.

McKenna has led Ipswich to the Premier League with back-to-back promotions

That campaign he led them to 11th but since then he has masterminded two consecutive promotions, with fans flooding back to Portman Road.

Potter has the advantage of already having proven his worth at Brighton, so much that Chelsea paid them £21.5m for his services in 2022.

In his three seasons in Sussex they finished 15th, 16th, and ninth, implementing a passing, attacking brand of football.