Having parted ways with Niko Kovac last week, AS Monaco have acted quickly to bring in Philippe Clement as their new manager.
Joining on a deal until 2024 after doing an excellent job at Club Brugge, where he led his team to the last two Belgian League titles, plus oversaw some terrific performances from his team in the Champions and Europa League, Clement’s certainly impressed.
Prior to his time at Brugge, the fact Clement won the league with Genk and did some good work with Waasland-Beveren further underlines his managerial quality, which began back in 2011 as an U21 coach with Brugge before going on to serve as an assistant to the senior team.
Making the transition as a professional player, where he enjoyed a successful career, which was highlighted by a 10 year spell with Brugge and playing at the 1998 World Cup and making the Euro 2000 squad, to manager brilliantly, he’ll be hoping the next chapter of his career continues to bear fruit.
“We are pleased about the arrival of Philippe Clement at AS Monaco,” explained Monaco vice president and CEO Oleg Petrov.
“His proven ability to bring out the best in young and talented teams while achieving ever higher goals throughout his career makes him the right person to logically continue, with our ambition intact, the chapter we opened at the beginning of last season, aimed at bringing AS Monaco back among the elite of French football and onto the European stage in a sustainable manner.”
Monaco sporting director, Paul Mitchell, then added how happy he is with bringing in Clement, stating: “We are delighted that Philippe Clement is joining AS Monaco to continue his successful career. His profile as an attack-minded coach who sets up his teams with great intensity and daring, including on the continental stage, and his ability to combine winning titles with the development of young players, has made him one of the most prominent coaches in Europe in recent years.
“We are convinced that the solid foundations we have been building over the past 18 months, combined with Philippe’s winning experience, modern leadership and ambitious mindset, will take our sporting project to the next level.”
Set to debut in the dugout against Nantes on the weekend, it’ll be intriguing to see how he sets the team up tactically and the players he chooses, in what will be an eagerly anticipated first game at helm.
With Monaco currently sitting in sixth place in the Ligue 1 standings, Clement’s aim will be to propel them into the top three come season’s end, which would represent qualification for next season’s Champions League.
Title image courtesy of AS Monaco’s Official Website