Sunderland have clinched the signing of Tottenham Hotspur winger Jack Clarke on loan.
Clarke is set to provide some real quality in the wide positions for Sunderland, in what is an area of the field where Lee Johnson’s side possess an abundance of options.
Aiden McGeady, Aiden O’Brien, Lynden Gooch and the newly signed Patrick Roberts are all players currently at the disposal of Johnson on the wing, but the addition of Clarke would help add even more impressive depth.
So, with his arrival now confirmed, Chronicle Live have taken a look at his career so far and what he will offer the Black Cats.
Clarke progressed through the ranks of Leeds United’s academy and was viewed as a very highly rated young talent during his days at Thorp Arch.
In fact, he was that well thought of by Marcelo Bielsa, he was handed his first team debut at the age of 17 in the Whites’ 1-1 Championship draw with Brentford.
After his debut against the Bees, the 21-year-old continued to establish himself as a regular under Bielsa that season, coming off the bench to great success on several occasions.
He scored his first goal for the club in December 2018 in a superb 3-2 comeback victory over Aston Villa, before then finding the net again just two weeks later against Nottingham Forest.
After a string of impactful substitute appearances, he was then given his first start for the Whites in front of the Sky cameras in a 2-0 win over Derby County.
Clarke provided the assist for Kemar Roofe’s opening goal and was awarded the man of the match trophy after a scintillating performance.
However, Clarke’s momentum at Leeds came to a grinding half in an untimely incident on the bench in a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough.
He received lengthy treatment after reportedly collapsing pitchside and from then on until the end of the season, his impact was limited.
Despite that, though, Premier League big guns Tottenham Hotspur had seen enough from Clarke to warrant spending £10 million on his signature.
He was immediately loaned straight back out to Leeds but was then recalled just six months later due to a lack of game time.
Clarke has struggled to establish himself as a first team player at Spurs and has also spent time on loan at both QPR and Stoke City in the Championship, without a great deal of success.
But if Clarke can recapture the form he showed during his breakthrough few months at Leeds, where he was able to breeze beyond full backs for fun, he could be a major asset at Sunderland.
An goal early in his Black Cats career would almost certainly go a long way to him re-finding his confidence, which could spell real trouble for League One defences.
