So there we have it. The saga is over. In another Ross Stewart style ‘will he won’t he’ scenario, it’s all done and dusted. Jack Clarke is moving to Ipswich Town for a package believed to be worth around £20m.
Whether you think that the fee is a decent one or Clarke has gone on the cheap, it will be interesting to see what Sunderland do with such an influx of funds at this stage of the window. How much we’re getting up front remains to be seen. It appears to be £15m. A chunk of that will be passed on to Spurs. What I will say is, that the fee is less than most thought it would be. The club will have been bracing themselves for Clarke’s departure for some time, and in all honesty, I was surprised that he was still here as the season kicked off at Cardiff City. Kristjaan Speakman has had his critics in his time at SAFC, but what he has done in the past is drive a hard bargain when it comes to outgoing transfers. We did get £10m for a severely injured Ross Stewart, which looking back, was a fantastic piece of business for the club. We aren't privy to the finer details of transfer deals, and the only ones truly 'in the know' are the ones 'in the know', it's as simple as that. In truth, transfer deals are usually shrouded in some kind of mystery, particularly ones of the more higher profile, complex nature. Clarke has left for a new challenge and we will move on.
Losing your best players is obviously far from ideal, but it is the nature of the beast and happens to every club up and down the country. Adequately replacing them is what really matters, which we still have a week left of the window to do so. This, along with Stewart, has been the first real test of the buy low, develop, sell high strategy. The club will certainly have had a list of candidates to replace Clarke, but as the window progressed without any movement on that front, we will have missed out on potential targets. Liam Millar for example, has moved to Hull City. I also think Romaine Mundle will surprise a few people. This presents a massive opportunity for him to showcase his own talents. I think that, given plenty of game time, we will see him progress at quite a rate, in a similar way to Clarke did himself. Ian Poveda can also play on the left. He too is a player that can get the fans off their seats. We can't forget young Tommy Watson either. Sunderland still have the likes of Jobe, Neil, Rigg and Roberts in their ranks, so there are still things to be more than positive about.
In terms of Clarke’s destination of choice to further his career, there is no real comparison between Sunderland and Ipswich Town. Sunderland are a bigger club in an inferior league, plus the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. That’s not me being bitter or salty by the way, it's an honest asessment. Ultimately, the lure of the Premier League is hard to resist, in terms of money at least, and Clarke’s agent Ian Harte will have undoubtedly advised his client to move on to pastures new. Ipswich get the player they want, Sunderland receive a substantial fee, Clarke probably doubles his wages and his agent lines his own pockets. Everyone’s a winner.
Ipswich spent big last season to secure back to back promotions and look to be going at it again with their signings to try and remain above the dreaded drop zone come May. Fair play to them, you have to applaud their efforts over the last few transfer windows. This time two years ago, they were lining up to play at Forest Green in League One. Their ‘model’ if you like, is one that is certainly working, but it is nevertheless a high risk, high reward strategy.
It is time to move on for Sunderland, and in all honesty, this transfer hasn’t stung me as much as some others have done in years gone by. Clarke’s departure has felt somewhat inevitable since the season ended in May. He’s been a fantastic signing and is a fabulous player. He has taken his game to another level in his time at SAFC, and leaves after scoring 28 goals in 114 matches, not to mention notching countless assists. He was also part of the squad that dragged the club out of the third tier, and I'll be forever indebted to those that gave us all such a memorable sunny day at Wembley in 2022. I wish Jack nothing but the best as he has a crack at the Premier League. For Sunderland, well, we have football matches to win.
