Clarke finally joined Ipswich Town last month after a long-running saga that saw the 23-year-old repeatedly linked with a potential move away from Wearside. Having turned down previous offers in the past, the Sunderland hierarchy decided to cash in this summer partly because Clarke had entered the final two years of his contract and was unlikely to hold his value. However, another factor in their thinking was the presence of Mundle, another left winger who was waiting for a chance to impress after moving to Wearside from Standard Liege at the start of February.
With Clarke ahead of him in the pecking order, Mundle made just five senior starts in the second half of last season, but when his fellow wide-man left last month, he was promoted to Regis Le Bris’ starting side for the home game with Burnley. He scored Sunderland’s winner against the Clarets, and has added further goals in his last two games against Portsmouth and Plymouth. His tally of three goals makes him the joint-fifth highest scorer in the whole of the Championship, and while no one is claiming he is a like-for-like replacement for Clarke just yet, his Sunderland team-mate, Dan Neil, was sufficiently impressed with his performances in pre-season to be confident he was capable of at least partially plugging the gap.
“Romaine has been brilliant,” said Neil, who was handed the captain’s armband earlier this summer. “It was tough for him when he first came in because Jack was kind of the main man but eve.