Analysis: How Harry Clarke Can Improve Sheffield United | OneFootball

Sheffield United are on the verge of securing a six-month loan deal for Ipswich Town right-back Harry Clarke, with the 23-year-old undergoing a medical at Bramall Lane today, according to both Mike McGrath and Danny Hall.

Clarke, who began his career in Ipswich’s youth system before a stint with Arsenal, returned to his boyhood club in January 2023. He played a pivotal role in Ipswich’s promotion to the Premier League, having featured 35 times in the Championship last season. But, he has found first-team opportunities limited this season, making only seven appearances in the top flight. Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna had previously indicated that a loan move was a possibility to ensure Clarke gains regular playing time.

Sheffield United’s interest intensified after their pursuit of Jonjoe Kenny from Hertha Berlin was unsuccessful, as the German club refused to sanction the move. The Blades faced competition from city rivals Sheffield Wednesday, who had also expressed interest in Clarke. However, United have managed to edge out the Owls in securing the defender’s services, reports suggest.

Clarke’s addition is expected to provide valuable depth to United’s defence as they push for a strong finish to the season. His versatility, being able to play right-back or right centre-back, and prior Championship experience in a promotion winning side make him a valuable asset for the Blades.

Next Sheffield United Signing: Harry Clarke Comparison to Alfie Gilchrist

Alfie Gilchrist

Harry Clarke

As you can see by the data graphics above, provided by ScoutingStats, Clarke does appear to be an upgrade on Alfie Gilchrist overall, and I personally believe he is an upgrade as well. So perhaps we will see Gilchrist more of a bench option during the latter half of this season.

Last season, Clarke performed exceptionally well in creative and progressive metrics, which is something Sheffield United have struggled with for most of this campaign despite being in the top three much of it. But, he is equally a solid defender, both in the air and on the ground.

Breaking Down How Harry Clarke Can Improve the Blades

Lewis Koumas challenges Alfie Gilchrist at Bramall Lane earlier this season. (Photo by Cameron Smith/Getty Images)

Clarke averaged seven progressive passes per 90 for Ipswich Town last term, ranking him in the 96th percentile compared to other full-backs and wing-backs in the Championship last term (better than Gilchrist’s five progressive passes per 90).

Additionally, he averaged over 2.5 shot-creating actions per 90, which ranked him in the 87th percentile for this metric (better than Gilchrist’s 1.9). It must be said, these numbers can often inflate if you’re a full-back that takes set-pieces, however, with Clarke that is not the case.

He also averaged a 61% dribble success rate, which is very good for a full-back. This ranked him in the 92nd percentile for this metric (better than Gilchrist’s 40% success rate).

Lastly, and more importantly, he can defend, but don’t go looking at FBref stats to tell you that; ranking poorly in tackles per 90 is not a bad thing for a defender. These numbers can often be mistranslated because, a defender with very low tackling stats could mean that they are exceptional positionally, so they never need to put a foot in.

A couple of metrics I do tend to look at though is aerial success rate and interceptions. Clarke’s aerial success rate last season was 60% (80th percentile). Meanwhile, his interception numbers were quite low as he ranked well below the Championship average. Clarke’s numbers of last season are practically equal to Gilchrist’s numbers of this season regarding these two categories.

And while this could suggest he doesn’t have great reading of the game, it could also be a product of coaching instructions; McKenna may have instructed his full-backs to be conservative with jumping passes in order to remain in position and protect the flanks. If you look at Leif Davis’ interceptions, his are also very low, so coaching instructions could well be the case.