New Norwich boss Clement 'turned down Slavia Prague'

Norwich City head coach Philippe Clement has been "very careful" about choosing his next job after being sacked by Rangers earlier this year, according to Belgian football podcaster Scott Coyne.

The 51-year-old was appointed by the Canaries on Tuesday, having agreed a three-and-a-half-year contract.

"Philippe's had a lot of interest in him for a number of months now, and a lot of people have been wondering where his next destination might be," Coyne told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"I know he did turn down Slavia Prague not too long ago, they were quite keen, and he has been talking to Ajax recently as well - although Ajax are in relative chaos in operational terms at the moment, so that would be a difficult club to go into despite how big a club Ajax are.

"He's been very careful about his next destination, particularly because his time with Rangers was quite a bruising experience for him for a number of reasons, and it was important that wherever he went next, he went somewhere where he was going to be able to work perhaps with slightly less media focus and hysteria."

Coyne said that Clement has a "stellar reputation" in Belgium.

"When you look at his CV and his track record, particularly during his time in Belgium, it really is very impressive," he added.

"Most notable are those three back-to-back Belgian top-flight titles he won, the first one with Genk and then the two with Club Brugge. To win three consecutive titles with two different clubs is quite an achievement.

"He has a reputation for being a real leader and a talismanic figure inside the clubs so it's a really interesting appointment from Norwich's perspective.

"He knows as well that the ultimate prize if he does well is to achieve promotion and get Norwich back to the Premier League, which I'm sure is something that will motivate him."

Clement's first match in charge is away to Birmingham City on Saturday (15:00 GMT).