Jack Clarke has been a magnificent asset for the Black Cats – and he looks set to make them a healthy profit.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Jack Clarke’s move to Sunderland sparked his turnaround, leading to impressive stats and key contributions in play-off wins.
- After struggling on loan spells, Clarke flourished at Sunderland, scoring 26 goals in 92 appearances and becoming a vital player.
- With reports suggesting a bargain £750,000 deal, Sunderland stand to gain a hefty profit from Clarke’s potential sale to interested clubs.
Jack Clarke would have desired to establish himself at Tottenham Hotspur following his audacious departure from Leeds United.
Sadly, he only managed to make four senior appearances for the team and had a string of quite bad loan stints out of the capital of England.
He even made the move to Sunderland in early 2022, dropping down to League One, but this turned out to be a turning moment for the 23-year-old as Alex Neil gave him the room to grow.
Pascal Jansen, who was interested in managing both Norwich City and Sunderland this summer, has decided to take over as Ferencvaros’ new manager.
Despite not always playing well during his loan stint at the Stadium of Light, Clarke did manage to set up Patrick Roberts’ game-winning late goal in Wednesday’s away play-off semi-final second leg against Sheffield.
After a protracted and exasperating stint in the English football third division, the Black Cats were able to return to the Championship when they went on to win the championship.
The club was enjoying itself immensely, but after his loan period ended, Clarke found himself without a job.
The long-term influence of Jack Clarke at Sunderland
During the summer of 2022, the Wearside team signed some excellent players. Dan Ballard and Aji Alese were given permanent contracts by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, while Ellis Simms and Amad Diallo were brought in on loan.
The first two of the four are still at the club, and they have all had an impact on the Black Cats.
That summer, Clarke also signed, and the supporters quickly realised that they had made a wise choice in bringing him on board.
It was evident that Clarke really benefited from being able to establish himself at a club permanently after struggling when out on loan in the second tier in the past.
| Jack Clarke’s permanent spell at Sunderland | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 2022/23 | 50 | 11 | 14 |
| 2023/24 | 42 | 15 | 4 |
| (Statistics are correct as of June 14th, 2024) | |||
With Ross Stewart missing most of the 2022–2023 season due to injury and Simms getting called up by Everton in the middle of the campaign, he was especially crucial.
Although Joe Gelhardt was brought in on loan, he struggled at times, thus players like Clarke and Diallo had to stand up to try and propel the team into the playoffs.
While they were successful in that endeavour, they were not quite able to lead the Black Cats to consecutive promotions.
With 15 goals in 42 games during the previous season, winger Clarke was even more effective in front of goal.
With such a stellar record, Wearside will be grateful to Spurs for their willingness to work out a low-cost permanent contract for the 23-year-old two years ago.
Jack Clarke could generate a healthy profit for Sunderland this summer
According to reports, the winger may have only cost the second-tier team £750,000 in total, with no add-ons.
If so, the Black Cats, who have benefited from having Clarke available to them, have struck a great deal.
Although it’s also thought that Spurs added a 25% sell-on clause to the agreement back in 2022, Wearside still appears to be in position to earn handsomely from the starlet, who is drawing interest already this summer.Both Southampton and Brentford are rumoured to be interested in him.
Even though the player is a vital member of the first squad at the Stadium of Light, this summer is arguably the best time for the club to sell him because he still has two years remaining on his contract and there are already teams interested in signing him.
The Black Cats have benefited from Clarke’s off-field contributions, but it appears that the 23-year-old will also bring in money for them.
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