Ex Rangers coach agrees Norwich City move and joins forces with 'prominent' former Ibrox manager at Canaries
The former Rangers coach has followed an ex Ibrox boss to Norwich City.
Philippe Clement has brought a former Rangers coach with him to his new job at English Championship side Norwich City.
The Belgian has joined the Canaries in the second tier of the EFL amid a poor start to the season at Carrow Road. It’s his first job since Rangers sacked him earlier this year and his backroom team is currently being assembled, but one man confirmed as joining Clement at Norwich City is known to Rangers fans
Stephan van der Heyden featured for Belgium and Club Brugge amongst others in his playing days and has largely worked as an assistant manager since. He joined forces with Clement at Rangers in 2023 after time in India at Kerala Blasters and left Ibrox alongside the Belgian. Van der Heyden is now welcomed into Carrow Road and Clement’s arrival has been hailed a prominent one.
Who is the new Norwich City manager?
Sporting director Ben Knapper added: “We’re all incredibly excited to welcome Philippe and Stephan to Norwich City. As soon as we knew there was a chance to bring them here, there was no hesitation. Philippe is an incredibly experienced and prominent head coach, with clear values and beliefs that align with ours.
“He will bring a strong leadership presence and an impressive background having coached some of the biggest clubs in Europe. Throughout the recruitment process, his methodical approach and detailed analysis of where we currently are, as well as his desire to move things forward, were clear for us all to see.
“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.”
Why Philippe Clement has joined Norwich City
Clement 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. 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. We only started conversations not so long ago and I didn't go into the first meeting with big expectations.
“We were talking with a few clubs, abroad also from good leagues, but the people here convinced me, to be honest, when they talked about the club, about the ambitions and then later on meeting the owners, speaking with them, about the ambitions they have for now, for this season, the next seasons to come and the plan they have with the club. So, that was the thing that made me curious and we had some good talks and at the end, I think the decision was made by the people I met.”