Tottenham's Jack Clarke signs for Sunderland - but what do we know about the ex-Leeds United man?

Sunderland have signed Jack Clarke on loan from Tottenham – but what do we know about him?
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The 21-year-old joined Spurs from Leeds for a reported £10million fee in 2019 but hasn’t been able to break into the first team – amid loan spells at QPR and Stoke.

To find out more about the player’s situation, we caught up with Tottenham reporter Rob Guest from Football London to get the inside track:

What’s Clarke’s situation at Spurs?

Jack Clarke playing for Tottenham Under-23s.Jack Clarke playing for Tottenham Under-23s.
Jack Clarke playing for Tottenham Under-23s.
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RG: "Clarke elected to stay at the club in the summer and fight for his place in the first team under Nuno Espirito Santo despite having offers from elsewhere.

“While you cannot fault his determination to make it as a Tottenham player, the winger has only featured in the matchday squad twice this campaign and both of those came in the Europa Conference League.

“He’s been a regular for Tottenham in Premier League 2, getting regular minutes under his belt, but Clarke is one of a number of youngsters who needed to move elsewhere to gain some valuable first-team experience.”

Do you think he could still make it at Spurs?

RG: “Clarke still has time on his side given his age but there's just no route for him into the first team with the likes of Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura, Steven Bergwijn and Bryan Gil ahead of him.

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“The ex-Leeds man has done well for the under-23s this campaign but opportunities have not been there for him and that is likely to carry on.”

What sort of fee would Spurs want for Clarke?

RG: “It's hard to know how much Spurs would be able to get from the potential sale of Clarke due to his lack of football.

“He's just not done anything of any real note in his three loan spells away from Tottenham, although he seemed to be getting back on track at Stoke before his injury, and he looks a shadow of the player who came to the attention of many clubs during his time at Leeds.

“Spurs will really struggle to get anywhere near the £10m they paid Leeds back in 2019.

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“Tottenham need to make a decision over him one way or another before it's too late as his contract is due to expire in North London at the end of next campaign.”

Has there been much interest in Clarke this month?

RG: “There's always going to be interest in Clarke due to his Tottenham situation and also because there is a player in there.

“Spurs had interest from the Championship and teams in Scotland to take the winger on a season-loan loan deal before the summer deadline but he instead chose to remain at Tottenham.”

Do you think Sunderland is a good move for Clarke?

RG “It's all going to depend on how much football he plays.

“Playing in a team who are pushing for promotion and thriving will only do him well and the confidence from winning week in, week out really could work wonders for him.”

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