8 hours ago
I played for Rangers and PSG under one infamous Ibrox boss and now I am managing a team in France's seventh tier
Jeremy Clement spent a season with Gers in 2006/07 after arriving from Lyon in a £1million deal
Paul Le Guen's ill-fated six month stint as manager of Rangers is one that fans of an Ibrox persuasion have tried hard to erase from their memory over the years.
And as it turned out, one of the players that the Frenchman brought with him from Ligue 1 didn't last much longer.
After taking up the reins in Govan from Alex McLeish in the summer of 2006, the infamous boss moved quickly to sign Jeremy Clement in a £1milion deal.
The midfielder was a part of Le Guen's Lyon side that romped to the league title in 2005, the fourth of seven consecutive Ligue 1 crowns won by the club before rivals Marseille and now Pars-Saint-Germain established themselves as the most dominant force in France.
However, much like his manager, Clement's spell in Glasgow was far from successful. The playmaker started the majority of his 23 appearances for the Light Blues but was sent packing back to France for £1.8m in the following January, linking up with Le Guen for a third time at PSG just weeks after he had been given the boot at Ibrox.
Clement went on to win more silverware in the French capital, helping the club capture the now-defunct Coupe de la Ligue in 2008.
After spells with Saint Etienne, AS Nancy Lorraine and minnows FC Bourgoin-Jallieu, the 40-year-old hung up his boots in 2020 to pursue a career as a manager with the latter.
Clement held the role for two years before it was mutually decided not to renew his contract at the end of the 2021/22 season.
But nearly three years on, the Gers flop is back in coaching after landing the job at amateur club FC Allobroges-Asafia in France's SEVENTH tier.
Clement's experiences in the dugout next season will be a world away from some of the big nights he had during his playing career at Ibrox, the Parc des Princes and Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
Speaking about his brief Rangers tenure back in 2020, the ex midfielder said: "I wanted to progress as a player so I decided to leave Lyon.
"I had opportunities to sign for clubs in France, but I wanted to sign for a manager who knew what I could do, like Paul Le Guen, so I chose Rangers.
"Rangers was a great adventure for me. It was my first experience abroad and a big change for me.
"The country was beautiful, I met my future wife and Rangers are a legendary club, so I regard it as a great time for me.
"I returned to France and went on to play for PSG, St Etienne and Nancy. I've had a great career.
"Now I will take my coaching badges at Bourgoin-Jallieu and hope to become a manager one day when football returns to normal."
