Carlton Palmer thinks Sunderland could be about to sell a fan favourite in January.
Speaking to Football League World, the pundit has tipped Jack Clarke to leave the club following Tony Mowbray’s sacking.
Tony Mowbray joined Sunderland in August 2022 and was well-loved for his exceptional work with the younger players, transforming the likes of Jack Clarke, Dan Ballard and Trai Hume from young players to Premier League quality stars.
There was always concern that the Black Cats wouldn’t be able to find a replacement that knew just how to help out the young kids like Mowbray did, but the club were ready to take the plunge and find out after they sacked the 60-year-old earlier this week.
One player that did particularly well under Mowbray was Jack Clarke, who has netted 10 goals in 19 games this season and looks set to be the subject of multiple transfer bids in January from the likes of Burnley, Brentford and Crystal Palace.
While Sunderland had previously turned down offers and looked set to battle to keep Clarke beyond January with a new deal, Carlton Palmer thinks that Mowbray’s exit could now invite a departure of his own for the winger.
“The departure of Tony Mowbray from Sunderland will cast doubts on the futures of several of the young players who thrived under him,” Palmer said.
“One such player is Jack Clarke, who flourished under Mowbray after losing his way.
“Clarke was the subject of several offers in the summer which were turned down as the offer was not believed to be the amount that Sunderland were looking for.
“He is one player who I believe will leave in January as this is the model that the club are adopting – buy young players as cheap as possible, develop and move them on for a profit.
“Mowbray was against this, he wanted a balance of youth and experience and the opportunity to take the club further than last year’s play-offs, he wanted to get them promoted to the Premier League.”
Are Sunderland crazy enough to let Jack Clarke leave in January?
While Jack Clarke and Tony Mowbray clearly worked very well together and the former manager way well have played a role in the youngster staying at the club, I would still be very surprised if we were prepared to lose him in January.
Kristjaan Speakman is the main man when it comes to transfer decisions and I don’t think there would be discussions about trying to tie Clarke down to a new deal if it wasn’t what the club wanted.
While I do expect Sunderland to sell up if we don’t get promoted this season, it would certainly be a huge mistake if Clarke was to leave in January. I also think he would want to stay for the second half of the campaign if there was the possibility of helping us return to the Premier League.