Slimane Wins Clement Over at St Joseph's College Reading
st joseph's college reading, Anis Ben Slimane turned Philippe Clement’s early doubts into trust with a run of four goals and one assist in five Championship games for Norwich City. Clement later said he had not seen much in Slimane’s first week of training, but the midfielder’s form changed how he fit into the manager’s plans.
Ben Slimane’s January run
Slimane’s strongest spell came over a three-week period from mid-January, when he delivered four goals and one assist in five Championship games. Norwich won four of those five matches and lost 1-0 away at Middlesbrough, a stretch that also included a telling contribution in the win at Leicester City and a statement display in the away romp at West Brom.
The 25-year-old’s numbers also fed into his wider role at the club. His second-half Championship output helped with Tunisia’s World Cup inclusion, and Clement now has to factor in a player who has already shown he can influence games from midfield.
Clement’s first read
Clement said Slimane did not stand out immediately when he first watched him train. “Honestly, in the beginning, I didn’t see too much in the first week that I saw him training,” he said. Slimane had come out of an injury at that point, and Clement said the midfielder was playing a lot more as an eight in training sessions.
The manager then asked him, “What positions do you see yourself playing?” Slimane answered: “I've played now this last, I think it was two weeks or something that he was training, a lot in the six or eight, but I can play on the 10 and the way you want to play, I really can do a good job there.” Clement replied, “Okay, we can try that in the training, and we will see.”
Norwich’s midfield picture
Slimane’s path to that point had already been interrupted. A quad injury sidelined him for the entire duration of Liam Manning’s tenure, and he made his seasonal re-appearance in December 2025 in a 1-1 league draw at Sheffield United. He arrived during Johannes Hoff Thorup’s era, then worked through the training ground adjustment Clement described before his scoring burst arrived.
That leaves Norwich with a clearer internal answer on where he can help. Slimane has already shown he can play on the 10, and Clement’s willingness to test him there gives the club another option as it shapes plans for 2026/27.
