In his first season as assistant manager, he won the Premier League title with Ancelotti at Chelsea.[3] They also won the UEFA Champions League title and Copa del Rey in their first season at Real Madrid.[4] Clement obtained his UEFA Pro Licence in 2009, and made his managerial debut with Derby County in 2015.[5]
Clement returned to Chelsea in 2007, initially working with their under-16 team.[7] He progressed through the coaching ranks there, working under managers José Mourinho, Avram Grant, and Luiz Felipe Scolari.[10] He took charge of the Chelsea reserve team, replacing Brendan Rodgers, before working with the Chelsea first team when Guus Hiddink was appointed manager in 2009.[7][11] Clement then became assistant manager to Carlo Ancelotti during his two seasons at Chelsea.[7] They went on to win the Premier League title and FA Cup in their first season in charge.[3][12] Ancelotti was sacked in his second season and Clement left the club soon after.[13]
After Chelsea, Clement briefly worked as a coach at Blackburn Rovers for four months, assisting Steve Kean in the 2011–12 season.[7][14]
Paris Saint-Germain
Clement was then hired by Paris Saint-Germain after Ancelotti had been appointed their head coach mid-season in December 2011.[15] The pair won the Ligue 1 title in their only full season at the club; it was PSG's first league title since 1994.[16] Whilst at the club, Clement coached such players as David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimović.[17]
After the team failed to win La Liga in their second season, Ancelotti was sacked on 25 May 2015 and Clement walked out four days later.[21]
Derby County
Soon after, on 1 June, he was appointed manager of Championship club Derby County, who had sacked Steve McClaren after finishing eighth the previous season.[5] Despite only losing once in 19 games from September to December, Clement was sacked on 8 February 2016 after one win in seven.[22][23] His final match was a 1–1 draw against Fulham.[24] They were in fifth place at the time he was sacked.[22] He finished with a record of 14 wins, 12 draws, and seven losses.[25]
In a statement, club chairman Mel Morris said a lack of progress had been made under Clement, despite the club being only five points behind leaders Hull City.[26][27] Clement's style of football was also cited as a contributing factor.[27][28]
Clement was hired by Bayern Munich in June 2016 as their assistant manager, again working alongside Ancelotti.[30] He helped Bayern to win the 2016 DFL-Supercup, beating Borussia Dortmund 2–0.[31] Whilst at the club, Clement and Ancelotti changed their usual coaching method of man marking to resemble the zonal marking employed by former Bayern manager Pep Guardiola.[32] As of December 2016, Clement and Ancelotti only lost one match during their time in the Bundesliga.[33]
Swansea City
Clement was appointed as the new head coach of Premier League club Swansea City on 3 January 2017, with the club in the relegation zone having sacked their second manager of the season, Bob Bradley.[34]Claude Makélélé joined him as his assistant; Clement and Makélélé had previously coached at Paris Saint-Germain.[35]
Clement recorded his first victory as Swansea boss with a 3–2 win over Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool.[36][note 1] Clement was named Premier League Manager of the Month for January after a successful first month in charge, earning nine points in four games for Swansea.[38] Under his guidance, Swansea won 26 points from 18 games, ultimately securing the club's Premier League status.[39] Clement was nominated for Manager of the Season in recognition of this achievement.[40]
After a poor start to the 2017–18 season, Clement was criticised for playing "boring" and "negative" football, with some Swansea fans questioning his tactical decisions.[41][42][43] Others, notably The Guardian journalist Stuart James, criticised chairman Huw Jenkins and the club's American owners for a poor transfer window, in which the club sold key performers Fernando Llorente and Gylfi Sigurðsson from the previous season.[44] Clement was sacked on 20 December 2017, leaving the club bottom of the league table and four points adrift of safety.[45]
Reading
Jaap Stam left Championship club Reading by mutual consent on 21 March 2018; Clement was announced as his successor two days later on a three-year contract.[46] He was sacked on 6 December 2018 after poor results left the club outside of the relegation zone only on goal difference.[47]
Cercle Brugge
Clement was appointed as the new head coach of Cercle Brugge on 3 July 2020 on a three-year contract.[citation needed] He was sacked on 1 February 2021.
Everton
On 31 January 2022, Clement was appointed as a first team coach at Everton as part of Frank Lampard's new backroom staff.[48] He left the club almost one year later on 23 January 2023, following Lampard's sacking as manager.[49]
^Clement was appointed immediately prior to Swansea's win against Crystal Palace, but on the touchline, he aided caretaker Alan Curtis who took charge of the game.[37]