Tottenham situation will be on Jack Clarke's mind as West Ham and Crystal Palace lurk: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Sunderland star Jack Clarke initially burst onto the Championship scene in October 2018 when he made his debut for boyhood club Leeds United aged 17 under former Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa.

The ace would go on to make 25 appearances for his boyhood club before signing for Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2019. He made just four appearances for Spurs in total and endured a string of unsuccessful loan spells - at Elland Road, QPR, and Stoke.

The winger left North London to join the Black Cats in January 2022 and was part of Alex Neil's Mackems team who won promotion back to the Championship by defeating Wycombe Wanderers in the 2022 League One play-off final.

Clarke signed for the Black Cats permanently in the summer of 2022 and has not looked back since as in recent times at the Stadium of Light, he has reached new heights.

Last campaign, the former Spurs man contributed nine goals and 11 assists as the Black Cats surprised Championship fans by reaching the play-offs in their first season back in the second tier since relegation to League One in 2018.

And despite a change in manager from Tony Mowbray, who he worked well under, to current Black Cats boss Mick Beale, Clarke has had an extremely productive campaign as he scored 12 goals and provided two assists in the first 26 games of the current campaign.

Should Clarke remain at the Stadium of Light, and continue to produce these sorts of numbers, the Black Cats are more than capable of booking their spot in the play-offs for a second consecutive season.

However, as the current transfer window rumbles on, Premier League clubs are interested in Clarke, as his impressive performances of late have caught the eye of West Ham and Crystal Palace, according to Football London.

Clarke must consider his game time following Spurs experience

The Black Cats winger may be a highly talented Championship footballer but having made his second-tier debut aged 17, it could be argued that at 23, he could already be an established Premier League player had things played out differently.

Moving directly from the Whites to Spurs, who usually ply their trade in the upper echelons of the top flight, meant Clarke suffered as his game-time dramatically dropped and his development was consequently interrupted.

Now that Premier League clubs are once again interested him, the 23-year-old must have his disappointing experience at Spurs on his mind, as he weighs up the next stage of his promising career.

During Clarke's time at Spurs, the club were going through one of the most successful times in their history as they reached their first ever Champions League final in 2019, so it is not surprising that the former Leeds ace was unable to make his mark in North London.

Neither Crystal Palace nor West Ham are at those lofty heights, but it could still be a battle for Clarke to get the playing time he wants at this point in his career, as both of these Premier League outfits have quality in abundance within their squad.

He should stay at Sunderland until the summer

For now, he should stay at the Stadium of Light as he is an ever-present at a club that highly value the quality he brings to the table. He is thriving there and clearly enjoying his football.

Although it would be tempting to join a Premier League club and fight for first-team football in the top flight, Clarke has the opportunity to do something special at the Black Cats and earn his second promotion in three seasons at the club.

Furthermore, if the ace can fire Sunderland to the top flight, it will only be a matter of months until he is a Premier League player anyway, and he would still be guaranteed first team minutes for the Mackems.

Clarke should stay at the Stadium of Light for now, and re-assess his options in the summer if the Black Cats fail to win promotion.

The top flight interest will remain and if he does make the next step this summer, getting regular opportunities should be his top priority.