Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has said the club are in talks to keep Sone Aluko onboard in a new role following his retirement.
Ipswich Town are facing an important summer as they gear up for Premier League football.
Aluko was on the fringes of McKenna’s playing squad but played a key role off the pitch and in the dressing room as the Tractor Boys completed a remarkable rise from the Championship.
However, while he’s hanging up the boots, the 35-year-old may well have a future at Ipswich Town.
As quoted by the East Anglian Daily Times, McKenna waxed lyrical over Aluko before revealing that talks are taking place to keep the Nigerian at the club ‘in one capacity or another’. He said:
“We hope that Sone will stay with us in one capacity or another. His agent is going to speak to Mark about that.
“The highest paid coach in Premier League history is what he’s pushing for,” he added jokingly.
Plenty of players go on to hold coaching roles or other positions in football following their decision to end their playing careers and it could be that Aluko follows that well-trodden path too.
McKenna is clearly a huge admirer of his abilities away from the playing setting, which bodes well as he weighs up his next move after retirement.
Worth remaining in place?
It might make sense to retain the departing attacking midfield player at Ipswich Town when they advance to the Premier League.
McKenna emphasised the important role he has to play off the pitch, emphasising the need to maintain positive characters who had already contributed to the incredible success of promotion. Aluko’s off-field impact may be difficult to replicate as the team tries to hold onto the majority of the group that successfully completed back-to-back promotions.
A stay for Aluko as he moves towards a post-playing career might just prove to be a wise financial decision in a club where a lot is expected to change in the upcoming months.
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