Norwich have confirmed the appointment of Philippe Clement as the club’s new head coach.
Clement – sacked by Rangers in February – replaces Liam Manning, who left Carrow Road before the international break with Norwich second bottom of the Championship. Manning only lasted 17 games having been appointed in the summer. Under him, Norwich have lost all of their home matches so far this season.
The club reportedly spoke to Gary O’Neill, who had a spell as a player with Norwich, and former Sweden and Blackburn manager Jon Dahl Tomasson before settling on Clement. Although the Belgian’s time at Ibrox ended in dissapointment, with Rangers well adrift of rivals Celtic in the Scottish Premiership – Clement did win the 2024 Premier Sports Cup and had previously guided Club Brugge to their domestic title twice before a spell at Monaco.
The 51-year-old has signed a contract until the summer of 2029 and will be joined at Carrow Road by coach Stephan Van Der Heyden. “I’m really excited by this story and opportunity,” he said. “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. They have big plans for the future but, of course, our job in the short term is to turn around the current situation and get everyone believing again. I also see the potential in the club and the group of players and feel totally ready for the challenge ahead.”
Norwich sporting director, Ben Knapper, said: “Philippe is an incredibly experienced and prominent head coach, with clear values and beliefs that align with ours. We now have an incredible amount of work ahead of us to ensure we improve performances and results and we will do everything possible to ensure Philippe has our full backing and support.”
Clement’s first game in charge will be away at Birmingham on Saturday.
