Sunderland transfer chief Kristjaan Speakman opens up on Jack Clarke contract talks and potential summer sale

Kristjaan Speakman says Jack Clarke’s summer departure is far from inevitable, but admits all parties might have a decision to make after Sunderland fought off interest in the latter stages of the January transfer window to keep their star winger on Wearside.

Clarke has been tracked closely by Premier League clubs over the course of a stellar 12 months of form, while Serie A giants Lazio put bids in the region of £15 million on the table as deadline day approached.

The player himself has consistently performed at a high level despite the speculation, and told Sky Sports he was happy at the club after another strong showing in the 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough on Sunday. Clarke's assist for Nazariy Rusyn's late equaliser was his 17th goal contribution of the Championship campaign.

“I am happy to be here,” Clarke said.

"I enjoy every minute of playing for Sunderland and pulling on the shirt. For me, the stuff that gets said on the outside doesn't seem to bother me. As long as I'm coming in everyday wearing a Sunderland shirt, I'm happy."

While Clarke is in no rush to leave, talks over a new contract are yet to yield a result and if that remains the case, any significant bids in the summer may be harder for Sunderland to resist. His current deal runs until the summer of 2026.

Here’s everything Kristjaan Speakman said on Clarke’s future and those contract talks when he spoke in the aftermath of the January window last week..

Q.Did you have fight any clubs off in the latter stages of the window to keep Jack Clarke at the club?

KS: We're really proud that we've got a talented group and when you've got that, you're going to get that backhanded compliment of the phone ringing on multiple occasions and people are going to try and prise those players away. I think it's a huge success for us to get through a January window especially where we haven't lost a player of that calibre, you only have to look at other teams in the league who unfortunately have lost big players midway through a campaign. That's not us and that's a real positive for us as a club. I think that ultimately, the lads are really, really happy. They enjoy being in the group and everything about Sunderland, so we'll plod on to the end of the season and see where that gets us. 

Q. Are any further talks on a new contract planned or has that process now run its course?

KS: I don't think it ever runs its course, there are always ongoing conversations. I think at the minute everyone is really comfortable with it sits, and those conversations will continue. There's loads of things that can affect that as you go through, but we've always had really open dialogue with players and their agents. We talked a lot about Ross Stewart and there was never a case of on, off, on, off. It was just ongoing and I just think that's the way its done in the modern game. 

Q. Is it fair to say you probably have to win promotion this season to keep Jack at the club?

KS: I don't know the answer to that question because we haven't had that conversation with Jack. If we had a changing room full of players who didn't want to play in the Premier League, I'd think that we'd signed the wrong players. I think we've got a changing room full of players who believe they can play in the Premier League, can be part of it with Sunderland, but ultimately they've got ambition and we shouldn't shy away from applauding that. Every player has their own journey, I don't think there's ever a necessity to sell a player or for a player to move - it's just trying to find the right sweet spot for everybody. I don't think it's a situation where Jack would have to move in the summer, but eventually if you don't sign a new contract it starts to run down and eventually you're a free agent. I'm sure Jack doesn't want to go through that two-year period and neither do we, so it's just around discussing a contract, seeing where those parameters are at, and then seeing where the market is at with regards to what opportunities there may be for him to move on at some point.

Q. Is there a realistic chance that you can bridge the financial gap [between the two parties] and agree a new contract while Sunderland are still a Championship club?

KS: I don't think it ever comes down to a financial question. Players want to play at the highest level - and it just so happens that what comes with that is more financial reward. I don't think you could keep a player in the Championship based purely on finance, I think they'd want to play at the next level. In the same way that a Premier League player would want to go and play for a Champions League team - that's just how our ecosystem works. 

Q. Speaking more broadly, with the finances in the Championship and the limits on external investment - are player sales a necessity for teams without parachute payments to take the next step in terms of lifting their budget and improving the squad?

KS: I think it's a blend. If you were able to keep our group and keep moving it forward, you could argue that you don't need to sell a player and you can then go and get promoted. I think we're very close to that with the group that we've got. Ultimately, the club will move at a certain pace and the players will move at a pace. With the players it can be quite quick, a centre forward for example or a wide player could be at your club, score ten goals and all of a sudden they're in demand and have the opportunity to move much quicker than the club can - because we have to move by seasons and players can move by windows, if that makes sense. I don't see any issue with trading being part of being successful, I think everyone is doing that. Ultimately, we'll just try to make the right decision by the club every time those key questions come up.