Thursday 5 January 2017 23:40, UK
Paul Clement is relishing the pressure of managing Swansea City in the Premier League and says it will make him feel alive again.
The former Derby boss gave up his role as Carlo Ancelotti's number two at Bayern Munich to return to management with the struggling Swans.
Clement, who celebrates his 45th birthday on Sunday, felt he could not turn down the opportunity to take over a Swansea side one point from safety after Tuesday night's 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.
Even being overlooked for the job when Bob Bradley was appointed in October did not enter his mind when the Swansea board came calling.
"I wanted a new challenge, a new experience," Clement said.
"Working with Carlo I became better in my relationships with players, I became more confident in my ability and I felt comfortable at that level.
"But I've never settled for that, I want to feel the pressure. The worst thing about pressure is having none of it. It's nice to have pressure, it makes you feel alive.
"It's the right time for me. I've been coaching for 20 years, since 2009 at the highest level, and I want to see if I can build a career moving forward as a head coach - as the one making the big decisions."
Clement's only previous managerial spell at Derby lasted just eight months.
The Rams were fifth in the Sky Bet Championship when Clement was sacked in February 2016, with club owner Mel Morris critical of their playing style.
"I wouldn't have done this or tried to be a head coach again if I didn't feel I had the skills to be able to do it," Clement said.
"I often get asked about my time at Derby and there's a lot of contrasting views about what happened, from a harsh dismissal or - an interesting one I read the other day - my time there was an absolute disaster.
"I remember during that period taking a team to the top twice and at the time of my dismissal we were five points off first with 16 games to go.
"Do I think it was a success or failure? I don't think you can call it either, my time was cut short."
