Sunderland have been told that Jack Clarke shouldn’t be playing in the Championship.
That’s according to Adrian Clarke, who told the What the EFL?! Podcast that the Sunderland winger is ‘unplayable’.
Jack Clarke has been on fire this season, already matching his nine-goal tally from the previous campaign in 33 less matches. The forward also picked up his first assist, with a beautiful ball into Dan Neil against Norwich City at the weekend.
Clarke has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League for much of the year, with Burnley previously seeing bids of around £10 million turned down.
However, the race for his signature is heating up after Crystal Palace and Brentford also joined the pursuit.
It is unclear whether Clarke would be keen to leave Wearside, but Adrian Clarke has claimed he certainly shouldn’t be playing in the Championship.
He said: “Jack Clarke is unplayable. When he’s in this form, he looks like a Premier League star. It’s someone who is playing in the wrong division.
“He had 14 dribbles in this game, six shots, I love the run and pass for the Dan Neil goal, scored himself of course.
“He’s a beautiful ball carrier and watching Tony Mowbray talk about him, ‘unlocking the mystery’, basically saying he’s a bit unique, one of a kind, so he needs to be managed carefully, but it’s the right match.”
Can Sunderland keep Jack Clarke?
Jack Clarke is clearly one of the best players in the Championship right now, and he will be Sunderland’s main man if they are to win promotion this season.
However, there is always the possibility that that doesn’t happen, and then it would be a huge surprise if the Black Cats didn’t lose the 22-year-old.
Clarke is definitely a Premier League player and somewhere like Brighton or Crystal Palace would be the perfect place for him to develop further – as hard as it would be to see from a Sunderland fan’s POV.
Mowbray’s side simply can’t lose him in January, but they may have to accept defeat if a huge offer comes in next summer. Especially if Sunderland are set for another season in the second tier.