Plans for a Euros spying trip have been shelved as the big Belgian begins yet another Rangers rebuild. Clement does have some downtime with his better half in the diary but it will be a staycation on Scottish soil just in case he needs to make a sharp dash home to get deals done. But as well as working harder this summer, the Gers gaffer reckons he and the Light Blues board are going to have to shop smarter too if they want to make sure their money goes as far as Celtic’s.

Brendan Rodgers has another £60million burning a hole in his pocket now he’s wrapped up this year’s title and booked up for a Champions League odyssey next year. And Clement is working under the assumption this is the year that the Parkhead powers finally let the Rodgers loose with the cheque book having tested the patience of their support yet again with their frugal spending policy.

“I’m going to make a tour here with my wife in Scotland so I’m near by. But I’m going to be on the phone all the time with the computer. But she’s used to that. I’ve warned her already. We know we have less money than our competition because they have more money and they have Champions League money now. So we need to be more inventive, the recruitment needs to be more inventive.

“If your opponent has more money and can spend more you have to work better. That needs to be the challenge to make things better. We have to find better players for cheaper prices. It’s not always the player that costs more who at the end has the highest value. It’s challenging. The bigger the pool is where you can take the best fish out.

“Our pool is smaller, so you have to be sharper. But it’s not just for that department, it’s for everything. It’s for the technical staff, the medical staff, the performance staff, for recruitment. It’s for everybody in the building. We need to work better, all of us, to make the next steps.”

Clement may have cancelled his German jaunt but it’s only 12 months since Michael Beale was heading to the continent for his own whistle-stop tour of signing targets.

The Londoner’s air miles didn’t get his team very far as a disastrous start saw him crash seven points adrift of Celtic just seven games into the season. After a promising start, the man who replaced him finds himself back in similar arrears having watched the Hoops soar clear to wrap up their 12th league crown in the last 13 years.

That’s prompted another round of rebuild chat – leaving Clement to reel off from a script that could have been written for his predecessor. But the former Genk, Brugge and Monaco coach is wary of reading to much into the negative narrative that has swept through the supporter base as another Premiership campaign ends with bitter disappointment.

“Of course this has to be the last time we talk about rebuilds,” he said. “You need a core to build on for the future. You need to fine tune things but it’s important to remember there are a lot of good things that have happened in the past six months.

“You know the things that have been achieved. If you do it all season like that then everybody would be really happy. With the start last season you have that in your backpack already for the whole year.

“It’s a result of what we have today. You need to look through that and not only think about the negative that we are not champions. We don’t need to start from zero.

“I think sometimes people exaggerate. It’s like this elsewhere too, not just this city. In Brugge it was the same story, there your competitor was Anderlecht. It was another city maybe, but it was winning or losing, heaven or hell.”

Clement insists he’s not daunted by the work that lies ahead, but added: “Of course it’s challenging. It’s easier when you can build more on this season. But with six players out of contract, you are already in a situation where it’s more difficult to do those things.

“We need to now create more stability in the club, create another model of recruitment. We’ve talked about that. You’ve seen it already in the January window. With no cash to spend, we still brought in young talented players.

“Mohamed Diomande has proven that he has potential to grow for the future. Oscar Cortes also. Fabio Silva with ups and downs and also not playing in his best position – but we need to continue in that way of recruiting. But we also need to keep as much experience in the building.”

Clement will sit down with recruitment chief Nils Koppen in the coming days to plan their next moves – but he’s made clear anyone coming in has to have the strength of character to cope with life in the Glasgow goldfish bowl. He said: “That’s crucial.

“Having a big talent and not coping with the demands of this club is of no use. You have to be mentally strong to survive here with the ups and downs, the criticisms, the boos. You have to be ready for that.”