AS Monaco appointed coach Philippe Clement to a two-and-a-half-year deal on Monday after sacking Niko Kovac during the mid-season break.
The French club said in a statement that 47-year-old Clement has signed a contract until June 2024 from the Belgian side Club Brugge.
– Daily ESPN FC live stream on ESPN+ (US only)
– No ESPN? Instant access
“His ability to bring out the best in youth and talent while simultaneously meeting increasingly high goals throughout his career, makes him the right man to be. [to] bring Monaco back to the level of French football and on the European stage,” said Monaco Vice President Oleg Petrov.
Clement played 333 games and scored 45 goals, as a defender for Brugge. He took charge in June 2019 and won two Belgian league titles to win three in a row, after winning with Genk last season.
“Thank you coach and good luck!” Brugge said in a Twitter post.
Kovac was told he would be substituted on Thursday, with the club sixth in the league after 19 games, following third place last season.
Reserves coach Stephane Nado led Monaco on Sunday to win the French Cup in second division Quevilly-Rouen, as last season’s runners-up reached the round of 16.
Monaco got off to a bad start with a win after six league matches, and that was against the promoted team Troyes.
Monaco hired Kovac after sacking Roberto Moreno in June 2020, quoting former Croatia the midfielder’s success in training Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt and its own national team.
Despite leading Bayern to a league double in 2019, he was sacked in November of that year.
