Clement has coached at Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid but will his spell at the iPro be his biggest help at the Liberty Stadium?
If any decision summed up the short-termism and managerial instability exacerbated season after season in the English Championship, it was Derby County’s decision to sack Paul Clement in February.
After all, The Rams were sitting fifth upon his departure, just five adrift of top spot. And, although they ended the campaign in the same position, the gap between themselves and champions Burnley had swelled to 15 points.
Yet, to lather another layer of befuddlement upon an already strange decision, Chairman Mel Morris claimed it wasn’t concerns about Derby’s promotion prospects that encouraged him to swing the axe. Instead, Clement’s sacking was the result of his inability to embrace or improve the so-called Derby way. Us neither.
However, if you ask Rams fans, it was not so much the style of football that Carlo Ancelotti’s long-serving assistant failed to encourage but the style of football he did that led to his downfall.
Now, almost a year on, Clement is set to return for his second stab at management with Swansea City.
The Swans may be bottom of the Premier League table due to terrible defensive record and a propensity for capitulation but it cannot be a coincidence that the loss of their identity has contributed with a dramatic fall from top-half hopefuls to relegation certainties.
‘Swansealona’ may be a distant memory but at least Clement arrives with a clear philosophy, unlike Francesco Guidolin or Bob Bradley.
But what messages of support / prophecies of doom do Derby fans have for their former boss’ new club?
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