It is undoubtedly the transfer story of Sunderland ’s summer so far. Despite starting the first two games of the 2024-25 Championship season under new head coach Régis Le Bris, Sunderland’s talisman Jack Clarke has moved onto Premier League pastures after Ipswich Town secured a deal to buy the classy winger. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up to our Sunderland AFC newsletter Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Sunderland Echo, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.
There is no doubt that Clarke’s loss will be a blow to Sunderland and its supporters . The former Leeds United and Tottenham man scored against Cardiff City on the Championship’s opening weekend and assisted Mayenda’s second goal against Sheffield Wednesday a week later. Professional to the very last moment Therein lies some of the beauty when it comes to Clarke.
His professionalism throughout this long-running transfer saga has, by all accounts, been good. The player has remained available for selection and has trained well. There was no Alex Pritchard-like behaviour.
Clarke’s goals and assists prompted inevitable transfer interest in his services this summer but that interest did not materialise into the bidding war that Sunderland may have liked. Southampton ’s interest was genuine but faded. Leeds were also keen but could not afford the £15million plus £5million add-ons that Sunderland were willing to accept.
More on that facet of this story from my esteemed colleague here. Clarke’s respect and gratitude towards fans Clarke made sure to return to the Stadium of Light after his deal with Ipswich Town was signed and done (but not yet officially announced) to say goodbye to staff and colleagues ahead of the Burnley game. It was a mark of respect to what Sunderland had given him since his arrival: the platform to completely rejuvenate what you could argue was a failing career.
Advertisement Advertisement This was reflected in Clarke’s statement to Sunderland fans, which read: “Where to begin. This club has been my home for the past 3 seasons and I have loved every minute of representing the club and the people who live and breathe Sunderland AFC, I couldn’t have asked or dreamt of a better place to play my football. “To all my teammates I shared my experience with, to the staff who took care of me every day and lastly to the fans who treated me as good as one of their own from the minute I arrived I want to thank you all you truly all make the club special.
I wish you all the best until we meet again.” Sunderland’s agreement and Clarke’s regret Amid interest from Burnley 12 months ago, Clarke agreed to stay put on Wearside to see if the club could win promotion to the Premier League following their play-off semi-final loss to eventual Wembley winners Luton Town. Clarke would stay and Sunderland would regress to finish ten places worse off in 16th.
The club, true to their word, did not stand in the player’s way once their slightly reduced valuation was met. Clarke enjoyed his time at Sunderland, where he rebuilt his career, and there is a sense of regret he has had to leave to progress further and there is a sense of regret. In the end, the chance to test himself at a higher level proved too much.
Ipswich Town’s summer transfer business has been encouraging and double-promotion winner Kieran McKenna one of the most exciting young coaches in the country. Advertisement Advertisement The inside story on Leeds United’s interest It is understood the player was open to moving back to Leeds United, the club where he started his career, despite the Whites currently plying their trade in the Championship. As previously stated, Clarke is extremely keen to play Premier League football but would have potentially been prepared to shelve that to re-join a club he holds very close to his heart on a better deal than his Sunderland contract.
However, Clarke’s openness to joining Leeds United was no slight on his feelings towards Sunderland. Clarke and Black Cats fans developed a good bond during his time in the North East - and from the player’s perspective, it does come with some regret that playing in the Premier League could not have been achieved with Sunderland sooner. In the end, it comes down to money.
.. As with most transfers and contracts, however; thoughts, feelings and ambition only tell part of the story.
Ipswich Town can offer more money in wages to Clarke than Sunderland can presently. Given their player sales and parachute payments, Leeds United would have also fallen into that category. Once Premier League money (or close to it) came to the table, it was always going to be hard for Sunderland to convince Clarke to sign on the dotted line.
Clarke penned a four-year deal two seasons ago when he was half the player he was now after the Black Cats had just won promotion to the Championship. He was therefore earning a lot less than he was worth given his rapid development. Advertisement Advertisement Unfortunately for Sunderland, the player accelerated quicker than they could, though whether decision-makers could have shown more ambition sooner to ensure they kept pace with Clarke remains firmly up for debate.
Clarke’s camp, for their part, also could have done things differently in their negotiations with Sunderland. As ever, there are two sides to the story. For many fans, it stings to lose Clarke to Ipswich Town, who are a fantastic club with a rich and storied history but were in League One just two seasons ago.
Their rise has been rapid but there is frustration that Sunderland have not tried harder to attack promotion to the Premier League. Once upon a time, Sunderland employed Amad, Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts heading into a play-off push. With a touch more investment, a goal-scoring striker and some depth, it could have been Sunderland as double-promotion winners.
That, I suppose, is all ifs buts and maybes. All that remains is to wish a fine player well on his next adventure and thank him for his service to our proud club..
