Sunderland, Jack Clarke and Burnley bid: What we know as transfer interest continues

There really aren’t too many Jack Clarke’s around.

After 90 minutes of football in the punishing North Carolina heat, you’d have been forgiven that the action was done. Clarke promptly picked the ball up on the halfway line and waltzed his way past three, four defenders. Only a slightly fatigued finish, high over the bar after all other opposition had been eliminated, stopped him from scoring a goal that probably wouldn’t have been bettered this season.

The winger looks in fine form ahead of the new campaign, but uncertainty persists as to whether he will still be playing his football at the Stadium of Light.

Burnley have been persistent bidders for the 22-year-old and are understood to have returned this week with a bid that is now in excess of £10 million. They remain short of Sunderland’s valuation.

Burnley’s clearly significant interest means Clarke’s departure remains a possibility, but Sunderland have made clear that they are under no pressure to sell and that stance has not budged.

Sunderland’s Sporting director underlined the club’s position earlier this summer, stating that though they were aware the perception was that the club’s operating model was built around selling players for a profit, the reality was more complex.

The model, he said, was to build a team strong enough to get promoted. It’s just that in all likelihood, some players along the way will inevitably develop at a quicker rate than the rest of those around them. Sunderland want to try and use that as a financial advantage, a way of raising revenue that means they can compete in the transfer market with clubs who otherwise hold a huge advantage over them in the way of parachute payments from the Premier League.

The other factor is that when your philosophy is to try and recruit some of the best young talent from around the world, you have to demonstrate that you’re prepared to let them move on when the time is right. Stand in the way, and you might struggle to recruit the next wave of talent.

It’s a fine line to tread, but Speakman’s intervention this summer was to make clear that it has to be first and foremost on the club’s terms.

And when it comes to Clarke, there is simply no reason whatsoever to sell low. First and foremost, the winger has three years left to run on the contract he agreed to make his switch from Spurs permanent last summer. Clarke’s career had drifted since his departure from Leeds United but with a platform to rebuild and play consistently, he has recaptured and then kicked on to another level from the form that marked him out as one of the country’s best young talents.

With well in excess of 20 goal contributions last season, Sunderland are more than entitled to demand a fee that runs close to those being paid for British talent elsewhere. Burnley have just agreed a deal in the region of £20 million to sign Manchester City’s young goalkeeper James Trafford: a huge talent who has just won the U21 European Championships but has never played senior football above League One level.

Two other factors to consider, too. One is that in signing Clarke last summer, Sunderland agreed a structured deal that featured a relatively modest initial fee that included numerous future add-ons. Included, too, was a significant sell-on clause for Spurs. To turn a profit of a level that would allow them to reinvest significantly into the squad, Sunderland have to hold firm on their valuation. And if Clarke were to depart, there is little doubt that they would need to do exactly that. Having already lost Amad from last season’s squad and with Ross Stewart’s own future still uncertain to an extent, Clarke’s departure would leave Sunderland short on firepower as they look to build on last season’s surprise sixth-placed finish.

The opportunity to play in the Premier League is clearly one that appeals to Clarke and that the interest from Vincent Kompany has continued throughout the summer months tells you that the feeling is mutual. 

Clarke, though, told Tony Mowbray earlier this summer that he enjoys his football on Wearside and isn’t actively going to try and push his way out. To that end, his pre-season performances to date have spoken for themselves. He has been sharp, committed and his output has been exactly where it was last season. Mowbray understands that at a certain point, the finances could reach a point where the deal works for all parties - he has been here plenty of times before.

Just over a month out from the window closing, then, there are a couple of factors that will determine how the story comes to a conclusion. One is of course Clarke himself. He is clearly tempted by the prospect of Burnley but how significantly has that interest developed of late? If it’s clear the winger is no longer happy at Sunderland, then that could become a factor in the club’s thinking.

First and foremost, though, Burnley have to reach a point where Sunderland believe they can come out of the deal with a stronger squad. The model is not to make a profit on players for the sake of it. It’s to turn a profit big enough, when necessary, to be able to manage the loss of a talented player and emerge better for it. 

Clearly, we simply aren’t there yet.