Stoke City, Tottenham deal was a disappointment - They never saw Sunderland AFC factor | OneFootball

Stoke City never saw the excellence of Jack Clarke that he showed at Sunderland after he joined the Potters on loan from Tottenham in 2021.

Ipswich Town star Jack Clarke had to navigate a long road to get to where he is today as a Premier League player, but there were some bumps along the way.

After beginning his senior career at Leeds United, the winger was identified by Tottenham Hotspur as one for the future. The London club were quick to snap him up from the Yorkshire outfit for a reported fee of £10m plus add-ons. Unfortunately, he'd never make a single Premier League appearance for Spurs.

During his time with the Lilywhites, Clarke was sent out on multiple loan spells to the EFL, some of which were more successful than others. The least memorable was certainly his move to Stoke City in 2021, where he failed to score a single goal for the club.

The following season, the wide-man went on to show that promise that had got him the move to Tottenham a few years back during a loan spell with Sunderland. Seeing this would've left Stoke wondering why they didn't get the same Clarke that the Black Cats did.

Jack Clarke's disappointing Stoke City move

As can sometimes be the case, the move to one of England's 'big-six' clubs may have come too early for the attacker. He'd shown promise at Leeds, but only had 25 Championship appearances to his name at the time, so it was unlikely he'd be anywhere near the Spurs first team.

To help his development, the North London club sent him out on multiple loan spells, ensuring Clarke got the regular game time he needed to make his push towards the first team. However, after two poor loan spells back at Leeds and with Queens Park Rangers, the then-20-year-old joined Stoke on a short-term loan deal in January 2021.

Following a lack of minutes with QPR, Clarke needed to find regular game time so he could showcase his talent and develop his game. Sadly, this wouldn't be the case though, as the Spurs loanee chalked up just two assists in 14 matches for the Potters, before suffering a season-ending injury in April.

The Englishman's time in Staffordshire on a whole was short and not very sweet, as he returned to his parent club to recover from his injury. The following season, Clarke joined League One Sunderland in January, excelling for the Black Cats as he helped them earn promotion back to the Championship.

Stoke left wondering why they didn't see the best of Clarke

The move to Wearside proved to be a turning point in Clarke's career, as the winger found form for his new club and earned a permanent move to the Stadium of Light the following summer. Having excelled at Sunderland, the 24-year-old joined Ipswich in 2024 for a reported fee of £15m plus add-ons.

Just a couple of years after his disappointing loan to Stoke, Clarke was now a Premier League player worth over £15m. This would've left some Potters supporters wondering why they didn't see the best version of the young attacker in their red and white stripes.

Truthfully, it seems like the move to Sunderland was the perfect one for the Spurs youngster, as he clearly thrived in an environment with an enormous, adoring fanbase behind the team, which could've been the catalyst to his boost in confidence on Wearside, and subsequent success.

Sometimes, for different reasons, loan moves just don't suit the player or the club, and it seems Clarke to Stoke was just another one of those cases. The Potters must look back sometimes and wonder if he'd have shown the excellence he showed at Sunderland, they could've been the club that went on to buy, then sell Clarke and turn a big profit.