FORMER Rangers flop boss Philippe Clement is back in football after being named as new boss of Norwich City.
The Belgian has been out of work since February after being sacked by the Govan club following back-to-back Ibrox defeats against second-tier Queen’s Park in the Scottish Cup and St Mirren who celebrated their first league win at the venue since 1991.
The axe came with the club 13 points adrift of Celtic, on their way to a fourth successive title, and Clement was replaced by ex-captain Barry Ferguson in a caretaker capacity until the end of another barren season.
CUP THAT JEERS…Philippe Clement looks perplexed after his side’s 1-0 Scottish Cup loss to Queen’s Park at Ibrox – his second last game.
At the time of Clement’s sacking, he was the fifth-shortest-serving permanent manager in the Ibrox club’s history, being in charge for 498 days.
The 51-year-coach has agreed a contract with the Championship side until the summer of 2029 and one of the players who will be under his charge at Carrow Road is former Hoops loan defender Jeffrey Schlupp.
The German-born Ghanian international left-back joined the Parkhead men in a temporary shift from Crystal Palace in January and made 18 appearances, one of them in the 1-1 Champions League draw against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in February.
He was freed by the Selhurst Park club in the summer and the 32-year-old defender was lured to Norwich.
Clement replaces Liam Manning who was fired before the international break after seven losses in eight league games.
LOAN CELT’S LONE GOAL…Jeffery Schlupp fires in his solitary strike for Celtic in the 5-2 victory over St Mirren in Paisley on March 1.
The East Anglian club had previously targeted John Dahl Tomasson, but the ex-Sweden boss removed himself from the process last night after the two parties were unable to come to an agreement following negotiations.
Clement, speaking to Sky Sports, said: “I’m really excited by this story and opportunity.
“I’ve known of this club for a long time and, whilst we are not in a good moment at this time, we are excited to work together with the players and staff to turn things around.
“Meeting with the owners and hearing some of their ambitions for the club, it really convinced me that this is the best move.”
The words have a familiar ring to them.
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