In light of rumors that a summer transfer to the Premier League may be in the works, FLW talk about what a steal Sunderland signed in Jack Clarke.
By winning the play-offs at Wembley, the team was able to put their League One demons behind them and put an end to their unwelcome, protracted stay in the third division.
The Black Cats defeated Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 at Wembley to overcome a challenge the club had faced twice in the past due to the play-offs, but under Alex Neil, the team overcame this obstacle.
It’s possible that the club’s recent transfer activity was enhanced by that promotion.
Sunderland signs Spurs’ Jack Clarke.
Jack Clarke joined Sunderland on loan in January 2022 from Tottenham in an effort to help the latter win promotion.
Clarke made 20 appearances for the Black Cats towards the conclusion of the 2021–2022 season, tallying four assists and one goal.
Even while those figures weren’t particularly impressive, Sunderland obviously saw enough to sign the winger permanently that summer for what has now shown to be an absolute steal.
In fact, sources claim that Sunderland only spent £750,000 to sign Clarke, even though Spurs reportedly paid £10 million for the player when he originally arrived from Leeds.
Sunderland won’t be able to replicate the outstanding Jack Clarke coup
For two reasons, Sunderland will find it difficult to replicate that outstanding performance. Firstly, the player they acquired for a reasonable price.
In fact, since joining the Black Cats on a regular basis, Clarke’s productions have demonstrated that Sunderland received an incredible deal at that cost.
In 50 appearances across all competitions in 2022–2023 Clarke tallied 11 goals and 14 assists, leading Sunderland to the Championship play-off semifinals in their first season back in the lower division.
But Clarke has been even more productive this season, winning some games that Sunderland may have relied on him for.
With 15 goals and 4 assists so far, the 23-year-old might have easily exceeded that total if it weren’t for the recent announcement that he will miss the next six weeks of action.
The second reason the acquisition was such a success for Sunderland was that Clarke’s excellent performances have naturally drawn transfer interest.
The Black Cats are not only going to profit handsomely from Clarke’s departure, but they also paid a relatively small amount for him.
Given that Clarke’s agency recently made the suggestion, it is most certainly going to happen this summer.
According to reports, Tottenham will receive 25% of any future payment made for the winger, but considering the current amounts being spoken about, that seems like a modest price to pay for such a great transaction.
We know that Sunderland placed a £20 million price tag on Clarke during the January transfer window in response to interest from teams like West Ham, Lazio, and others. It’s unlikely that this valuation will change significantly this summer.
If Sunderland is awarded that sum, it will further enhance the fantastic deal the team made when they acquired Jack Clarke in 2022.