Former Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has given his verdict on Jack Clarke’s future at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland star Jack Clarke is once again the subject of transfer speculation, with a handful of Premier League teams showing an interest in the form Spurs man.
Ipswich Town are keen on Clarke and have been tipped to make an £18million offer, though it’s since been revealed that Ipswich have held provisional talks with Clarke, and nothing more.
Last summer, it was Burnley who tried and failed to sign Clarke. This summer, the likes of Crystal Palace, Southampton, and Wolves have been been credited with an interest in the 23-year-old.
It comes after another standout season for Clarke in the Championship, with 15 goals and four assists to his name during what was an otherwise poor season for Sunderland.
Now, former Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has given his verdict on Clarke’s future at the Stadium of Light; Poyet was spotted watching Sunderland during their pre-season tour of Spain, where they played games against Nottingham Forest and Eldense.
Gus Poyet drops verdict on Jack Clarke at Sunderland amid Ipswich Town rumours
Speaking to Sunderland Echo, Poyet gave his thoughts on Sunderland having numerous players wanted by Premier League clubs.
He said: “Obviously everyone talks about Clarke leaving, I think he will [leave].
“It will depend on the price and the money. I did say to one of the owners, perfection would be to sell him and keep him on loan for a year.
“That would be perfect! Everybody was laughing but it has happened before, a club that maybe wants to invest now but doesn’t need him for this season.
“But in the position that Sunderland are in now, you have to expect that when a player does very well – he will eventually leave.”
Could Sunderland sell and loan Jack Clarke this summer
Sunderland selling and then re-signing Clarke on loan my not be beyond the realms of possibility, although it does feel like a fr-fetched idea.
And it may depend entirely on who signs Clarke this summer; Crystal Palace for example have been linked with Clarke because they’ve lost Michael Olise to Bayern Munich, so Palace would surely view Clarke as someone to come in and fill a gap in the first-team.
Whereas if Clarke was linked to a Chelsea, an Arsenal, a Manchester United etc, he’d go in as a younger player with a point to prove and whatnot, so a loan exit would feel more realistic.
Clarke though has not been linked with such teams. Right now, it seems like Ipswich Town are the ones wanting to sign Clarke the most and ahead of what will be a challenging Premier League campaign for the Tractor Boys, spending X amount on Clarke, only to then send him out on loan, seems unrealistic.
But Clarke does look nailed on to leave Sunderland at some point, like Poyet says, unless the Black Cats can achieve promotion very soon.