Paul Clement (football manager)

Paul Clement (born 8 January 1972) is an English professional football manager and coach. He has been assistant manager to Carlo Ancelotti several times – at Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich. Clement has managed Derby County, Swansea City and Reading and has previously held coaching roles at Fulham, Blackburn Rovers, and the England under-21 and Republic of Ireland under-21 teams.

Paul Clement
Clement at Real Madrid in 2013
Personal information
Full name Paul Clement[1]
Date of birth (1972-01-08) 8 January 1972 (age 52)[2]
Place of birth Wandsworth, England
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1991 Banstead Athletic
1991–1994 Corinthian Casuals
Managerial career
2003-2004 Fulham (Academy) (Assistant)
2004-2006 Fulham (Under-18)
2005–2008 Republic of Ireland Under-21 (Assistant)
2006-2007 Chelsea (Under-16)
2007-2008 Chelsea (Under-18)
2009 Chelsea (Reserves)
2009-2011 Chelsea (Assistant)
2011-2012 Blackburn Rovers (Assistant)
2012-2013 Paris Saint-Germain (Assistant)
2013-2015 Real Madrid (Assistant)
2015–2016 Derby County
2016–2017 Bayern Munich (Assistant)
2017 Swansea City
2018 Reading
2020–2021 Cercle Brugge
2022–2023 Everton (Assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

In his first season as assistant manager, he won the Premier League title with Ancelotti at Chelsea.[3] They also won the UEFA Champions League title and Copa del Rey in their first season at Real Madrid.[4] Clement obtained his UEFA Pro Licence in 2009, and made his managerial debut with Derby County in 2015.[5]

Career edit

Early coaching edit

Clement was born in Wandsworth, London.[6] He is the son of former Queens Park Rangers and England player Dave Clement and the older brother of former West Bromwich Albion player Neil Clement.[7] Paul Clement, however, did not progress as a player beyond non-league football with Banstead Athletic and Corinthian Casuals.[7][8] He concentrated on coaching from the age of 23, as he worked in the Chelsea Centre of Excellence while holding down a job as a PE teacher at Glenthorne High School.[6][7] Clement obtained his UEFA 'A' coaching licence in 1999 and became a full-time football coach in 2000, when Fulham appointed him to a role in their academy having been their Head of Education and Welfare.[9][7] Clement also helped coach the Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team, working with Don Givens.[7]

Chelsea edit

Clement returned to Chelsea in 2007, initially working with their under-16 team.[7] He progressed through the coaching ranks there, working under managers José Mourinho, Avram Grant, and Luiz Felipe Scolari.[10] He took charge of the Chelsea reserve team, replacing Brendan Rodgers, before working with the Chelsea first team when Guus Hiddink was appointed manager in 2009.[7][11] Clement then became assistant manager to Carlo Ancelotti during his two seasons at Chelsea.[7] They went on to win the Premier League title and FA Cup in their first season in charge.[3][12] Ancelotti was sacked in his second season and Clement left the club soon after.[13]

After Chelsea, Clement briefly worked as a coach at Blackburn Rovers for four months, assisting Steve Kean in the 2011–12 season.[7][14]

Paris Saint-Germain edit

Clement was then hired by Paris Saint-Germain after Ancelotti had been appointed their head coach mid-season in December 2011.[15] The pair won the Ligue 1 title in their only full season at the club; it was PSG's first league title since 1994.[16] Whilst at the club, Clement coached such players as David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimović.[17]

Real Madrid edit

Clement was appointed assistant manager at Real Madrid after Ancelotti became their head coach in June 2013.[18] During his time at the club, Clement worked alongside Zinedine Zidane and coached players including Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso, and Cristiano Ronaldo.[17] He helped them win the Copa del Rey and tenth UEFA Champions League title, along with the UEFA Super Cup, at the end of his first season at the Bernabéu.[4][19] They also went on to win the club's first FIFA Club World Cup in 2014.[20]

After the team failed to win La Liga in their second season, Ancelotti was sacked on 25 May 2015 and Clement walked out four days later.[21]

Derby County edit

Soon after, on 1 June, he was appointed manager of Championship club Derby County, who had sacked Steve McClaren after finishing eighth the previous season.[5] Despite only losing once in 19 games from September to December, Clement was sacked on 8 February 2016 after one win in seven.[22][23] His final match was a 1–1 draw against Fulham.[24] They were in fifth place at the time he was sacked.[22] He finished with a record of 14 wins, 12 draws, and seven losses.[25]

In a statement, club chairman Mel Morris said a lack of progress had been made under Clement, despite the club being only five points behind leaders Hull City.[26][27] Clement's style of football was also cited as a contributing factor.[27][28]

After Derby, Clement briefly helped coach the England under-21 team, working under manager Gareth Southgate.[29]

Bayern Munich edit

Clement was hired by Bayern Munich in June 2016 as their assistant manager, again working alongside Ancelotti.[30] He helped Bayern to win the 2016 DFL-Supercup, beating Borussia Dortmund 2–0.[31] Whilst at the club, Clement and Ancelotti changed their usual coaching method of man marking to resemble the zonal marking employed by former Bayern manager Pep Guardiola.[32] As of December 2016, Clement and Ancelotti only lost one match during their time in the Bundesliga.[33]

Swansea City edit

Clement was appointed as the new head coach of Premier League club Swansea City on 3 January 2017, with the club in the relegation zone having sacked their second manager of the season, Bob Bradley.[34] Claude Makélélé joined him as his assistant; Clement and Makélélé had previously coached at Paris Saint-Germain.[35]

Clement recorded his first victory as Swansea boss with a 3–2 win over Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool.[36][note 1] Clement was named Premier League Manager of the Month for January after a successful first month in charge, earning nine points in four games for Swansea.[38] Under his guidance, Swansea won 26 points from 18 games, ultimately securing the club's Premier League status.[39] Clement was nominated for Manager of the Season in recognition of this achievement.[40]

After a poor start to the 2017–18 season, Clement was criticised for playing "boring" and "negative" football, with some Swansea fans questioning his tactical decisions.[41][42][43] Others, notably The Guardian journalist Stuart James, criticised chairman Huw Jenkins and the club's American owners for a poor transfer window, in which the club sold key performers Fernando Llorente and Gylfi Sigurðsson from the previous season.[44] Clement was sacked on 20 December 2017, leaving the club bottom of the league table and four points adrift of safety.[45]

Reading edit

Jaap Stam left Championship club Reading by mutual consent on 21 March 2018; Clement was announced as his successor two days later on a three-year contract.[46] He was sacked on 6 December 2018 after poor results left the club outside of the relegation zone only on goal difference.[47]

Cercle Brugge edit

Clement was appointed as the new head coach of Cercle Brugge on 3 July 2020 on a three-year contract.[citation needed] He was sacked on 1 February 2021.

Everton edit

On 31 January 2022, Clement was appointed as a first team coach at Everton as part of Frank Lampard's new backroom staff.[48] He left the club almost one year later on 23 January 2023, following Lampard's sacking as manager.[49]

Managerial statistics edit

As of match played 31 January 2021
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record Ref.
P W D L Win %
Derby County 1 June 2015 8 February 2016 33 14 12 7 042.4 [25]
Swansea City 3 January 2017 20 December 2017 41 14 5 22 034.1 [25][34]
Reading 23 March 2018 6 December 2018 30 7 8 15 023.3 [25]
Cercle Brugge 3 July 2020 1 February 2021 25 7 1 17 028.0
Total 129 42 26 61 032.6

Honours edit

Manager edit

Individual

Assistant manager edit

 
Clement regularly assisted Carlo Ancelotti, an experience he described as "invaluable".[17]

Chelsea[12]

Paris Saint-Germain[16]

Real Madrid

Bayern Munich[31]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Clement was appointed immediately prior to Swansea's win against Crystal Palace, but on the touchline, he aided caretaker Alan Curtis who took charge of the game.[37]

References edit

  1. ^ "Clement: Paul Clement: Manager". BDFutbol. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Manager profile: Paul Clement". Premier League. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Premier League champions: 2009/10". Chelsea F.C.
  4. ^ a b c d "Real Madrid 4-1 Atletico Madrid". BBC Sport. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Derby County appoint Paul Clement as head coach". BBC Sport. BBC. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  6. ^ a b "In profile: Paul Clement". Derby County F.C. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Spiro, Matt (16 May 2012). "England's French connection at Paris St-Germain". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  8. ^ "Teacher Paul keeps it will keep it Real at the Bernabeu". Surrey Comet. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  9. ^ "FEATURE | Paul Clement On His Coaching Career" – via www.youtube.com.
  10. ^ "The English assistant at Real Madrid". BBC Sport. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  11. ^ "Swansea's Blue Bosses". Chelsea F.C. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Swansea City: Paul Clement seeking happy return at Stamford Bridge". BBC Sport. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  13. ^ Fifield, Dominic (24 February 2017). "Paul Clement relishes being back at Chelsea six years after the boot". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  14. ^ "Blackburn vs Derby match report: Paul Clement escapes former home with a point". Independent.co.uk. 21 October 2015. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022.
  15. ^ Fifield, Dominic (8 March 2013). "Paul Clement more than happy to be the 'other' Englishman at PSG". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  16. ^ a b "PSG clinch first French league title since 1994". Reuters. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  17. ^ a b c "Derby's Paul Clement: 'Seeing how Carlo Ancelotti operated was invaluable'". The Guardian. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  18. ^ "English coach joins Zidane on Ancelotti's Real staff". espn.co.uk. ESPN Sports Media. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  19. ^ a b "Super Cup: Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice in Real Madrid win". BBC Sport. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  20. ^ a b "Club World Cup final: Real Madrid 2-0 San Lorenzo". BBC Sport. 20 December 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  21. ^ "Real Madrid: Paul Clement exit follows sacking of Carlo Ancelotti". BBC Sport. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  22. ^ a b "Paul Clement: Derby County sack head coach". BBC Sport. BBC. 8 February 2016.
  23. ^ "Is Paul Clement the man to keep Swansea in the Premier League?". Sky Sports. 3 January 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  24. ^ "Derby County » Fixtures & Results 2015/2016". World Football. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  25. ^ a b c d "Managers: Paul Clement". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  26. ^ "Mel Morris: Paul Clement's short-term view cost him Derby job". BBC Sport. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  27. ^ a b "Why did Derby abort the Paul Clement gamble after only seven months?". The Guardian. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  28. ^ "Paul Clement leaves Derby: Is his sacking the strangest this season?". BBC Sport. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  29. ^ "Gareth Southgate grateful to have Paul Clement in U21s camp". The FA. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  30. ^ "Ancelotti macht sein Trainerteam komplett". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 21 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  31. ^ a b "2016 Supercup: Exclusive post-match interviews". Bundesliga.com. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  32. ^ "Swansea City: Paul Clement says Pep Guardiola sold him on zonal marking". BBC Sport. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  33. ^ "Who is Swansea City manager favourite Paul Clement and why was he sacked in his only job as a boss?". WalesOnline.
  34. ^ a b "Swansea City: Paul Clement confirmed as third boss of the season". BBC Sport. 3 January 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  35. ^ "Swansea City appoint Claude Makelele as their assistant manager". BBC Sport. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  36. ^ "Liverpool 2-3 Swansea: Paul Clement claims first league win as Swans move off bottom". Sky Sports. 21 January 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  37. ^ "Crystal Palace vs Swansea: Swans mark Paul Clement appointment with dramatic win". The Independent. 3 January 2017. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  38. ^ "Clement named Barclays Manager of the Month". Premier League. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  39. ^ "Gylfi Sigurdsson says he will only leave Swansea if club decide to sell him". Sky Sports. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  40. ^ "Paul Clement: Swansea City boss nominated for manager of the season". BBC Sport. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  41. ^ "Swansea fans fume at Paul Clement's tactics after defeat to Watford". HITC. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  42. ^ "Are Swansea City now just boring to watch? Their problems and the actual evidence examined". Wales Online. 30 October 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  43. ^ "Paul Clement: I understand fans frustration but I will keep making unpopular substitutions if it means Swansea City pick up points". Wales Online. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  44. ^ "Muddled moves and a woeful window – how Swansea landed back in trouble". The Guardian. 3 November 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  45. ^ "Paul Clement: Swansea sack manager after less than a year in charge". BBC Sport. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
    "Historic league table generator". Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  46. ^ "Reading: Paul Clement named new manager at Championship club". BBC Sport. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  47. ^ "Paul Clement: Reading sack manager after less than nine months". BBC Sport. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  48. ^ Correspondent, Paul Joyce, Northern Football. "Frank Lampard signs two-and-a-half year deal to lead Everton rebuild". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 31 January 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  49. ^ "Lampard sacked as Everton manager". BBC Sport.
  50. ^ "Clement and Hayes among winners at FA coaching awards". The Football Association. 6 December 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2018.

External links edit