Is Jack Clarke ready for Premier League redemption?

By FootballTransfers

Football

Sun January 28, 2024 · 2y ago

There are many cautionary tales of young players making a move to a big club too early in their career.

Jack Clarke’s £10m move to Tottenham as a highly-rated teenager ended without him making a single Premier League appearance, and almost derailed his promising career. But the 23-year-old has reinvented himself in the Championship to become one of the league’s most potent attackers.

A young talent does not become bad overnight. Players are often managed poorly, or their big transfer fee causes them to be afforded less patience than they should be given.

But the Leeds United academy graduate was open to taking a step down, worked hard and slowly found his feet on Wearside, first under Tony Mowbray and now under manager Michael Beale.

This started showing on the pitch as he scored an impressive nine goals and set up 14 more in the English second tier last season. Several Premier League clubs showed interest, but Clarke chose to stay put, and he has managed to take his performances to another level in 2023-24 - matching the previous season’s goal tally after just 14 games.

Clarke has now restored his reputation and become Sunderland's attacking talisman, getting them on the cusp of the Championship top six.

West Ham United are among a host of clubs reported to be interested in the Englishman, as he looks ready to take care of some unfinished business in the Premier League.

Jack Clarke Transfer Value - how much is he worth now?

According to our Player Valuation Model, Clarke has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €8.8 million.

Sunderland will be reluctant to sell this month, but every player has his price, and there is huge demand for young homegrown attackers who offer a high ceiling and good output at both ends of the pitch.

Spurs also have a 25% sell-on clause, which will drive his price closer to the £20million figure which might convince the Black Cats to part company.

What does Jack Clarke bring to a team?

Clarke retains the traits of a classic winger, but he is playing more like an inside forward this season. When in possession of the ball, he often cuts inside through dribbles and is looking to be directly involved in chance creation and build-up. He is also more involved in actions around the penalty area.

Clarke’s data mirrors this change. He is making more carries and passes into the penalty area, taking more shots and registering a higher non-penalty xG than previous seasons. This is probably what has led to the uptick in his goalscoring.

Surprisingly, the former Spurs winger has only two assists this season, but based on his xAssist figure of 6.6 he should have many more. Sunderland rank 14th for goals scored this season, so the under-performance is possibly down to the inability of his teammates to finish off chances.

So there should be little doubt about Clarke’s creative abilities. He has a good passing range and makes 2.40 key passes P90 - putting him amongst the top 10% of wingers in the league.

One wouldn't be off the mark likening Clarke to Jack Grealish. Both players are natural ball carriers and are comfortable taking on multiple players, out wide and centrally. The Manchester City winger had an outstanding season with Aston Villa in the Championship before continuing that good form in the Premier League.

Clarke is also a constant threat from the left wing, and torments opposition full-backs using his balance, technique and speed. He is showing a similar dominance in the Championship this season, and has the most progressive carries, most touches in the final third and penalty area, and is the first player to make 100 successful dribbles in England's top four divisions.

The England U20 international is the Championship’s worst kept secret, and it is only a matter of time before he gets his shot at redemption in the top flight.

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