Clement: Swans avoiding drop bigger achievement than Champions League medal

Had Paul Clement stayed as assistant coach at Bayern Munich, he could have been in the running for a Champions League winners medal.

Instead, he switched Germany for Swansea, and insists keeping his new side in the Premier League would be a greater achievement than landing the most-sought after prize in European club football.

The 44-year-old recorded his first victory as Swans boss at the weekend with a 3-2 result over title contenders Liverpool – the team’s first ever league win at Anfield.

The Swans sit just a place above the relegation zone with two points separating them from the bottom three, and Clement admits he faces a big challenge if he is to keep his side afloat.

(Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images)

“Keeping Swansea up would be the bigger achievement,” said Clement, who won the Champions League with Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2014.

“If I had not won the Champions League before, maybe I would think differently.

“I had a chance at Chelsea to go to the final, but we lost to Barcelona when Andres Iniesta scored a late equaliser to send them through on away goals.

“At that point I never thought I would get to a Champions League final as you don’t envisage having that chance again in your career.

“I had it at Real Madrid and having won the trophy in 2014, I will not be thinking about that at Bayern. My focus is only on Swansea.”