Derby County appoint Real Madrid assistant Paul Clement as new head coach

Clement, 43, has signed a three-year contract at the iPro Stadium after leaving his role as assistant manager at Spanish giants Real Madrid to join the Rams.

After successfully serving Chelsea, Paris St Germain and Real Madrid as assistant manager to Carlo Ancelotti, he was described by the Italian boss as ‘one of the most dynamic and intelligent coaches’ that he had worked with.

Clement replaces Steve McClaren as Derby’s Head Coach, who parted company with the club last month following a thorough review by the club’s board of the 2014/15 season, which ended with the Rams missing out on a place in the Sky Bet Championship’s Play-Off places.

Derby have made the decision to maintain the structure implemented on the football side of the club since September 2013 by appointing Clement as their Head Coach.

Upon beginning their search for a successor to McClaren, Clement’s excellent coaching credentials and skillsets quickly led to him becoming Derby’s preferred candidate to move the club forwards at a key time.

He will take charge with immediate effect and will meet Derby’s squad for the first time when they report back for pre-season training in June to begin their preparations for the 2015/16 season.

Derby County’s President & Chief Executive Sam Rush commented: “Paul Clement is one of the most in-demand coaches in world football and I am delighted that he has agreed to join Derby County as our new Head Coach.

“He is hugely respected, has exceptional relationships throughout football and tremendous coaching experience at some of the very best clubs in Europe.

“He is the perfect appointment at the next stage of Derby County’s development and we are looking forward to the coming season with a great deal of optimism.”

Upon joining Derby, Clement said: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining Derby County as Head Coach and I am looking forward to meeting the players and getting started.

“This is a massive club with fantastic facilities and a superb fan base who deserve success.

“Having spoken with Sam Rush and the owners I firmly believe we share the same desires and ambitions and that is to once again make Derby County a Premier League club.”

His first coaching role was with Chelsea in their Centre of Excellence, before he served Fulham in their Academy, in his first full-time position, and the Republic of Ireland at Under 21 level prior to returning to the Blues in 2007, initially with the youth and reserve sides.

His hard work and dedication to the job has seen him gain significant experience and work alongside some of the football’s elite performers, working his way up the coaching ladder to earn a sizeable reputation in the game.

He stepped up to the first-team staff under Guus Hiddink in 2009 – during which time Chelsea won the FA Cup – before being retained by Carlo Ancelotti following his appointment ahead of the 2009/10 season working alongside the likes of Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and John Terry.

In his first season working with Ancelotti at Chelsea they won the Premier League and the FA Cup, before the Italian departed at the end of the 2010/11 season. Clement too moved on, working briefly as assistant to Steve Kean at Blackburn Rovers before linking up with Ancelotti again midway through to the 2011/12 season at Paris St Germain.

In the 2012/13, PSG won the Ligue 1 title, as well as working alongside the likes of David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and, in the summer of 2013, Clement followed Ancelotti to Spanish giants Real Madrid.

In their first campaign, Madrid won the UEFA Champions League trophy for the tenth time in their history after a 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid after extra-time with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale amongst their goalscorers. They also defeated Barcelona in the Copa del Rey Final during the season.

These successes were followed by the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup a few months later.

Derby County will hold a Press Conference to unveil Paul Clement as their new Head Coach on Thursday 4th June 2015 at the iPro Stadium.