Michael Graham has offered his verdict on whether Jack Clarke will stay at Sunderland this month.
Jack Clarke joined Sunderland on a four-year deal back in 2022, but it wasn’t long before he was heavily linked with a move away.
His superb first season back in the Championship, in which he bagged nine goals and 12 assists, earned him interest from Burnley. The Premier League newbies went onto have a number of bids rejected by the Black Cats.
The ‘phenomenal’ winger’s stellar start to the current campaign has only increased demand, with Clarke now a target for the likes of Crystal Palace, Brighton and Brentford.
According to Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth, West Ham have become the latest club to join the race for Clarke due to injuries to Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio.
Sheth claimed that Sunderland remain ‘under no pressure’ to let go of their star man, but it is thought that a bid of over £20 million could tempt them.
While Sunderland fans are hopeful Clarke will stay to at least see out the season on Wearside, journalist Michael Graham has offered his wary verdict on his potential exit.
Writing on his X profile, Graham said: “For me, it’s 50/50 whether Clarke will be at Sunderland beyond this transfer window. Going to be an interesting three weeks.”
Graham’s opinion is different to that of Keith Downie of Sky Sports though, who wrote on his X profile that he expects Sunderland to hold onto their ‘prize asset’ in January, unless they receive an offer they ‘can’t refuse’.
Can Sunderland keep hold of Jack Clarke in January?
Sunderland have already been working on tying Jack Clarke down to a new contract, so it’s clear that they would prefer to retain the forward this month.
It does seem highly likely that the only way we would part ways with Clarke is if someone coughed up over £20m – a figure which seems a bit over the top for a January transfer.
West Ham’s current injury problems may encourage them to spend big and maybe ‘panic buy’ a little, but I do think Clarke would have to be pushing for a move if anything was to occur anyway.
While we are struggling a bit on and off the pitch at the minute, Clarke clearly loves the club and the fans, and he showed in the summer that he does have some loyalty here.
The 23-year-old will know that interest will only increase in summer and he will have his pick of the bunch, while he can also help Sunderland have a crack at promotion first.
£20m would be a huge fee to receive this month, but is it really worth basically throwing our campaign away halfway through?