Happy birthday to Sunderland winger Jack Clarke, who signed from Spurs this summer after an impressive loan spell last season…
When Clarke signed for Tottenham for around £10 million, he was a teenager from Leeds with the world at his feet. He was a massive fan favourite at Elland Road, and the price tag, while hefty, looked to be a smart investment on a player whose value would only increase.
But he never actually made a league appearance for Spurs. He was loaned back to Leeds initially, before further Championship spells at QPR and Stoke proved to be unsuccessful. So when he arrived on Wearside (an initial loan deal) fans were happy to see a player who was once such a prodigious talent, but sceptical in the way his career had gone up to that point.
Upon his arrival, Clarke said: “I can't wait to get started. I'm from this part of the world, so I know this is a massive club and what it means to the fans. I'm looking forward to playing at the Stadium of Light and the prospect of being part of the team that takes the club back to the Championship. I want to help the team as much as possible, whether that's goals or assists, and ensure we reach that end goal.”
He made his debut in that awful 6-0 defeat at Bolton, and had to wait a while to get his first goal. It took Jack nine games to get on the scoresheet, when he cut inside on his right and smashed it into the top corner. In reality, that eagerness to cut inside every time made him a bit predictable in League One, and we didn’t see the best of him until towards the end of the season when he really came into form. In the Play-Off semi-final, he went outside for once down the line and provided Patrick Roberts with that amazing moment that sent us to Wembley.
Fans were delighted when he signed permanently in the summer, on a four-year deal. It was seen as a massive coup to sign a Tottenham wonderkid who had Premier League ambitions, and fitted with our new ‘model’ of signing young players with plenty of room to improve and increase in value.
He said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be back because I really enjoyed my time here last season. It felt right to return and after winning promotion to the Championship last season, I’m excited to play my part in the next step of our journey. We have a good balance in the squad and a great bond in the dressing room, so I believe we can continue to progress as a team and enjoy another successful season.”
He got off to a flying start, heading in our first goal of the Championship season against Coventry (despite starting as an auxiliary wingback). He’s continued to be one of our biggest threats throughout the campaign - our top assist maker with six, and our second-top goalscorer with four. Right now he’s actually joint-top for assists in the whole of the league, which is testament to his work ethic this season.
One of the best moments of the season has been when Jack finished an amazing team move which wouldn’t have looked out of place at Barcelona. An eight-pass move was scored by Clarke against Reading, winning EFL Goal of the Month and will surely be up there for awards at the end of the season. In the absence of a striker, and with our change in manager coming out of nowhere, Jack has been asked to play anywhere from wingback to striker this season and continues to look like one of our most impressive signings. Happy birthday Jack!
