Paul Clement is expected to become the Derby County manager as the Championship club move swiftly to appoint Steve McClaren’s successor and build a team capable of winning promotion to the Premier League next season. Sam Rush, Derby’s chief executive, said Derby were in the process of finalising a shortlist but Clement is the frontrunner and it will be a major surprise if the job goes to anyone else.
Carlo Ancelotti’s dismissal as manager at Real Madrid, where Clement has been No2 for the past two seasons, should make the Englishman’s decision relatively straightforward. Clement has been waiting for the right moment to go into management and it is understood that Mel Morris, Derby’s new chairman, is determined to convince a man who also worked under Ancelotti at PSG and Chelsea, that the iPro Stadium is the place to cut his teeth.
Sunderland have also considered the possibility of appointing Clement as their new manager should Dick Advocaat turn down the chance to remain in charge at the Stadium of Light. There is a feeling, however, that Clement would prefer to take his first job as a manager at Championship level and that Derby are much more advanced in their pursuit of the 43-year-old. How quickly the situation develops at Derby from now on is likely to depend on the terms of Clement’s departure at Madrid.
The vacancy at Derby came about when McClaren was dismissed on Monday after a disastrous final two months of the campaign that saw the East Midlands club miss out on a place in the play-offs after being top of the league at the start of March. Rush said that performances were not the sole reason behind the decision to dismiss McClaren, who was constantly linked with the Newcastle job during that poor run-in to the season, and implied that Derby were closing in on the new man.
“We will work very quickly to draw up a shortlist, which is one I don’t expect to be particularly long,” Rush said. “We have already had contact from a number of individuals that believe they can take Derby County forward. We will whittle the shortlist down as quickly as we can but it is important to say that we will not be rushed into a decision. We have taken our time in relation to Steve McClaren and we will do so with regards to a new appointment as well, but we are also aware that there is the need for a timely decision.”
