Former Derby County, Reading and Swansea City manager Paul Clement is interested in becoming the next head coach of the Republic of Ireland national team, according to the latest reports.
The 52-year-old was most recently the assistant manager to Frank Lampard at Everton but left his post once the England legend was relieved of his duties at the beginning of 2023. Clement has not been appointed at another club ever since.
The Wandsworth-born coach has been more of a number ‘2’ throughout his career so far as opposed to being the main man in the dugout. The most fruitful period of his coaching tenure came under Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. The pair won eight major trophies together, including the Premier League and the Champions League.
Paul Clement on Carlo Ancelotti during his time at Chelsea: pic.twitter.com/CJteHptSX5
— David (@undervalu) January 13, 2024
Unfortunately, Clement’s career as a manager hasn’t gone swimmingly. At Derby County, he was sacked by former owner Mel Morris, although the Rams were sitting fifth in the Championship, five points off the top at the time of his dismissal.
A relatively successful spell with Swansea, keeping the Welsh outfit in the Premier League at the end of the 2016/17 campaign was succeeded by a stint with Reading in which he held a lowly 23.3% win rate, having won seven of his 30 matches in charge.
However, now, The 42 are reporting that Clement’s representatives have confirmed that the former Premier League boss is keen to return to management and is interested in becoming the new manager of the Republic of Ireland men’s team.
The Boys in Green have been without a head coach ever since Stephen Kenny’s contract expired back in November and a cash-strapped FAI have been left scraping the barrel for potential candidates on a tight budget. Clement is the latest name to throw his name in the hat.
Writer’s View
It’s difficult to say whether or not this would be a good appointment. Clement has predominantly worked as an assistant manager and previously operated as the number ‘2’ to Don Givens with Ireland’s U21s in the mid-to-late 2000s.
However, this time round, he wants to become the main man to lead the Irish through an incredibly difficult period in the FAI’s shady history. His spell at Derby County was looked at as a disappointment at the time, but like the job he did with Swansea and Reading, it wasn’t too bad in hindsight. Perhaps he could do another admirable job over on the Emerald Isle.
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