The one/off-transfer of Sunderland winger Jack Clarke looks set to conclude today, with the 23-year-old on the cusp of joining Premier League new boys Ipswich Town.
The East Anglian Daily Times has reported that Clarke is set to move to Portman Road for a fee in the region of £15 million, with around £3 million in ‘realistic add-ons’. This move will end one of the summer sagas and leave the Black Cats time to reinvest in talent before the transfer window closes next week.
Clarke has been a revelation since moving to the Stadium of Light. He has had to fight back with hard work after initially exploding onto the scene. He came through the ranks at Leeds, earning a £10 million move to Spurs, but it didn’t pan out in North London. He failed to appear for Spurs, getting Championship loan spells at Leeds, QPR and Stoke.
In 2021/22, he dropped into League One with Sunderland, and hasn’t looked back. He helped them to promotion after four seasons in the doldrums, their longest spell out of the top two divisions. That earned him a permanent transfer, and he’s been outstanding since. In two Championship seasons, the York-born player has managed an impressive 26 goals and 18 assists.
That’s made him hot property over the summer, with clubs such as West Ham, Crystal Palace, Wolves and former employers Leeds United coveting his services. It appears he is now set to step into the Premier League with Kieran McKenna’s Tractor Boys, enjoying their first campaign back in the big time since 2002.
McKenna saw his side beaten 2-0 by Liverpool on the opening day of the season, but has conducted impressive business over the summer. He’s dipped into the Championship for prolific attacking midfielder Sammie Szmodics, as well as Chelsea youngster Omari Hutchinson, Man City striker Liam Delap and England midfield man Kalvin Phillips.
Writer’s View
This transfer has so many facets that it’s hard to know where to start. Ipswich are getting a great player, a wide man with goals and assists, and if he can provide bullet for the likes of Delap, Ipswich will have a chance of staying up. Their business has been impressive – much of it has been done with English clubs, players already settled in the country and proven either as prospects or Championship players.
For Clarke, it is a decent move. He has to play wherever he goes, and maybe at West Ham, he’d be repeating his Spurs mistake. At Ipswich, he’s going to be one of the leading lights, but instead of doing it against Preston, Plymouth and Oxford, he’ll test himself against Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool.
Sunderland will, of course, be gutted to lose him, but £15 million is quite the war chest for a Championship club. It gives them some buying power in the market, perhaps to up their bid for Caen attacker Alexandre Mendy, whom they are credited with chasing. They could realistically add three or four top-quality players and improve the overall depth of their squad.
Be the first to comment