Belgian Clement appointed Monaco coach

Belgian Philippe Clement has been named as Monaco's new coach, taking over from the sacked Niko Kovac, the Ligue 1 club said on Monday.

Former Bayern boss Kovac was fired last week with the Principality side sixth in the table, 17 points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

The 2017 Ligue 1 winners were knocked out of this season's Champions League qualifying stages with Kovac in charge.

Clement, 47, heads to Stade Louis II on a deal until June 2024 after two seasons with Belgian champions Club Brugge.

In a statement in English on the club website, chief executive Oleg Petrov said Clement's "proven ability to bring out the best in young and talented groups" made him the right person to continue the club's bid to bring Monaco "back into the elite of French football and onto the European stage in a sustainable manner". 

According to Forbes magazine, Monaco's owner Dmitry Rybolovlev is worth $6.7 billion and the club have won just two trophies since he took over in 2011.

Clement, who won the Belgian Super League in the past three campaigns, will inherit a squad including experienced veterans such as Cesc Fabregas, Kevin Volland and Wissam Ben Yedder as well as youngsters in Myron Boadu and Benoit Badiashile. 

"His profile as a forward-thinking coach who plays his teams with great intensity and daring... and his ability to combine titles with the development of young players has made him one of the most prominent coaches in Europe in recent years," said Monaco's sporting director Paul Mitchell in the statement.

"We are convinced that the solid foundations we have been building over the past 18 months, combined with Philippe's winning experience, modern leadership and ambitious mindset, will take our sporting project to the next level," the Englishman added.

Former Belgium centre-back Clement watched from the stands on Sunday as his new side beat second-tier Quevilly-Rouen to reach the French Cup's last 16.

His first game in charge is set to be Sunday's trip to seventh-placed Nantes, who have lost just once at home in the league since September.