McKenna confirms desire to keep Axel Tuanzebe beyond summer

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has made it clear he wants to keep Axel Tuanzebe at the club beyond the current campaign.

The 27-year-old defender is out of contract this summer and has yet to agree new terms, but McKenna is hopeful that the DR Congo international will choose to remain at Portman Road heading into his third season with the Blues.

McKenna: "Axel Knows We Want to Keep Him"
Speaking during his pre-match press conference, McKenna was full of praise for the former Manchester United defender and revealed ongoing hopes of extending his stay:
“Definitely, and Axel knows that. We think a lot of him and he’s been a very important player for us this season and last season.

He’s built himself back up to a good level, we think, of form and robustness and found a good home here.
Of course, we’re going to try and if that can be possible then I think we’ll be really pleased.

And I think it’s a good place for Axel as well, and let’s see what the next few weeks brings.”

No Sentiment in Team Selection Despite Looming Departures
With Ipswich’s relegation from the Premier League all but confirmed, attention has turned to the summer and which players may be moving on — whether out of contract, returning from loans, or seeking new opportunities.

Still, McKenna insists those decisions won’t affect his team selections for the remaining six matches of the campaign:

“There are always a multitude of things that come into your thinking, but the overwhelming majority is to picking a team to perform as we can and try and pick up points.

It’s not the contractual situation of different players or anything like that.
We’ve still got six games left, it’s still a chunk of the season, we know how big the season is and we want every performance to be at the best level we can possibly produce.

That’s the real overriding factor in any decision that we’re making.”

What’s Next for Tuanzebe and Ipswich?
Tuanzebe has quietly been one of Ipswich’s most consistent performers this season. After dealing with long-term injuries earlier in his career, the defender has found form, fitness, and stability under McKenna’s leadership.

With several departures expected this summer, retaining a reliable figure like Tuanzebe could be key to rebuilding for the Championship — should Ipswich drop down.

McKenna’s public commitment to keeping him may be the first step toward that.

Since joining Ipswich Town, Axel Tuanzebe has slowly rebuilt his career, offering consistency and leadership at the back. Though injuries limited his early contribution, he’s grown into a dependable presence under Kieran McKenna. The table below highlights his appearances, output, and total minutes played across his two seasons at Portman Road: