Ex-Sunderland winger Jack Clarke responds to Ipswich Town exit speculation

Former Sunderland winger Jack Clarke has claimed that there is “nowhere” he’d rather be playing his football than with Ipswich Town next season.

The 24-year-old left the Stadium of Light to sign for the Tractor Boys at the beginning of the campaign, but has endured a patchy start to life at Portman Road. At the time of writing, the wide man has registered three goals and six assists across 31 outings in all competitions this term, but is still yet to find the back of the net in the Premier League.

Nevertheless, recent reports have suggested that Clarke could be a target for Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven this summer, with the Eredivisie side having competed in this season’s iteration of the Champions League. But the player himself has insisted that he wants to stay in Suffolk, even as the prospect of relegation from the top flight looms large.

What has former Sunderland winger Jack Clarke said about his Ipswich Town future?

As quoted by the East Anglian Daily Times, Clarke said: "I’ve got no ambition to be anywhere else. If we are relegated and something happens over the summer it’ll probably be out of our hands – but there’s nowhere I’d rather be playing football next season.”

Clarke also addressed recent comments from teammate Axel Tuanzebe, in which the defender claimed that Ipswich will become one of the “bigger clubs” in the country over the coming years. The ex-Sunderland man said: “I think everybody within the building echoes it, to be honest.

“It’s what the ownership and the people at the top are striving towards. Whether taking a step back next season was part of their plans or not I’m not sure. But I think everybody’s optimistic in terms of where this club’s going and where it can finish up. I think everybody believes in that. I think you’d be stupid not to, to be honest.

“We finished second in the Championship last season, and I think everybody at the club would argue we’re much better equipped now if we’re in the Championship than we were last season. I think the trajectory of the club is always on the up.”

Reflecting on his first season in the Premier League, and the challenges it has presented, Clarke continued: “It’s hard to know what to expect to be honest. Obviously we’ve never done it before, but sometimes you do get a little bit star-struck when you’re lining up against the top, top teams and you’re looking across and seeing certain individuals and you’re going to these prestigious stadiums.

“But I think that’s something you’ve got to take for granted while it’s in front of you. Weirdly, it’s probably been one of the most enjoyable seasons, without actually winning that many games – just in terms of the experience and the level that we’re competing against. Whether it’s for one season or numerous seasons down the line, it’s been one of those that we’ll all appreciate much later on in our lives.”

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He added: "Maybe star-struck is the wrong word, but sometimes if you play against a [Manchester] City, for example, and you’re standing in the tunnel next to [Erling] Haaland… It’s more like you don’t realise how big he is until you’re stood next to him and you’re like, ‘Oh wow’, so that’s the sort of thing.

“You get so used to watching these players on TV and then all of a sudden you’re lining up next to them... It becomes reality and then you’ve got to concentrate on the game but you’re like, ‘Oh Jesus, Haaland’s there’ and stuff like that. It probably is a bit of being star-struck. I don’t think the TV does justice to half of the people and how big some of them are.”

Clarke concluded: “I guess it’s part of the learning process. You’re obviously not trying to get distracted going into the game but sometimes when you play these top, top talents and players it’s hard not to be like ‘that’s so and so and whoever else’ because you get that used to watching them in big games on TV. That would be part of the learning curve, if and when it was to happen again."

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