Sheffield Wednesday flashpoint may have earned Sunderland an eight-figure profit | OneFootball

The Black Cats benefitted hugely from Jack Clarke, both on the pitch and financially, and a key moment v Sheffield Wednesday may have helped.

When Jack Clarke made the loan move to then-League One side Sunderland at the start of 2022, it was clear that his career had stalled.

Having impressed at Leeds United, he failed to make a first-team impact at Tottenham Hotspur, and didn't enjoy the best time out on loan in the Championship either.

With this in mind, his temporary switch to the Stadium of Light looked to be a huge opportunity to stop his career from spiraling.

During the second half of the 2021/22 campaign, up to the play-offs, Clarke endured a fairly mixed time, registering one goal and three assists in 17 league appearances for the Black Cats.

He did start a considerable number of those games, but he also spent a decent chunk of time on the bench under Alex Neil, and the play-offs were his last chance to impress before he returned to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Black Cats won the first leg of their play-off semi-final against Sheffield Wednesday 1-0, with Ross Stewart capitalising on an error to give the hosts the advantage at the Stadium of Light.

But they had to make the journey to Hillsborough to try and retain their lead - and they went 1-0 down - with Lee Gregory levelling the tie on aggregate.

However, it was the Wearside outfit who came out as the eventual winners in the end, with Clarke using his speed to get past a defender before executing an inch-perfect low cross for Patrick Roberts to convert.

This was a crucial stoppage-time strike that helped to take the Black Cats to Wembley - and Clarke had played a major role in that.

Goals from Elliot Embleton and Stewart sealed a 2-0 victory against Wycombe Wanderers and with that, their return to the second tier of English football was sealed.

Clarke had some fond memories to take back with him to the English capital, during a fairly mixed spell for him on Wearside.

Sheffield Wednesday flashpoint may have helped Sunderland to secure huge Jack Clarke profit

Clarke joined the Black Cats permanently during the summer of 2022, with Neil's side deciding to make an investment in the player after he finished a relatively average loan spell with a flourish.

His assist against the Owls not only helped ensure Sunderland returned to the Championship but could also have played a big part in persuading the hierarchy at the Stadium of Light to make a permanent move for him - and it was a switch that proved to be highly profitable for them.

He reportedly arrived for a fee of around £750,000, which, even at the time of his arrival, was a good deal considering he was still young and had the opportunity to grow into an established first-teamer in the second tier.

Clarke was able to take his game to a new level after making the permanent move to Wearside, which was a surprise to some, considering he had previously struggled in the second tier on loan at other clubs.

Registering 11 goals and 14 assists in 50 competitive appearances during his first full season at the SoL, his contributions and the brilliance of Amad Diallo played a big part in their top-six finish.

Unfortunately for them, the Black Cats fell short in the end against the eventual play-off winners Luton Town, but Clarke had enjoyed a brilliant season and he was able to follow that up last term by beating his goalscoring tally from the previous season.

The Wearside outfit fell well short of the play-offs at the end of the 2023/24 campaign and with this in mind, it always looked likely that he would move on during the previous window.

It took some time for a deal to be agreed, but he made the move to Ipswich Town in August, joining in a £20m deal, with £15m of that guaranteed.

Spurs may have included a 25% sell-on clause in the agreement, but the fact he was sold for £750,000 meant the Black Cats were still able to make an eight-figure profit on Clarke, with more money potentially set to be earned from this deal in the future.