'Desperate' - Reason why Sunderland accepted Jack Clarke offer revealed

Jack Clarke is leaving Sunderland for Ipswich in a £20million deal, and details are starting to emerge about why the offer has been accepted.

Jack Clarke - leaving Sunderland / IMAGO / NurPhoto

Sunderland accepted the offer from Ipswich for Jack Clarke because the player was ‘desperate’ to play Premier League football, it has been revealed.

Clarke has been sensational for Sunderland in the last 18 months, growing into one of the best players in the Championship.

The Black Cats had hoped to fend off interest in the 23-year-old this summer, but he will now join newly promoted Ipswich Town in a £20million deal.

However, Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Sunderland took the deal because of Clarke’s desire to leave to test himself at Premier League level.

“Ipswich Town booked medical for Jack Clarke on Friday as £20m package has been agreed,” Romano said. “Sunderland accepted as Clarke was really desperate for PL football.”

That was certainly always going to be a danger once Sunderland removed themselves from the promotion picture last season.

Clarke has not really been tested at Championship level for a while now, and he will get a huge pay hike as a Premier League player, as well as being able to push himself into international contention for England.

Unfortunately, Clarke has simply grown at a pace that Sunderland have been unable to match and with the Black Cats unable to offer him Premier League football, a parting of the ways was inevitable.

🚨🔵 Ipswich Town booked medical for Jack Clarke on Friday as £20m package has been agreed as exclusively revealed.

Sunderland accepted as Clarke was really desperate for PL football.

Broja and Clarke to #ITFC. ⤵️🚜 https://t.co/DFWUewbNOn

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 23, 2024

What should be encouraging to fans is that the recruitment team who will be spending the money from Clarke have shown they have an eye for a player.

He will become the third player in Sunderland’s League One promotion team who will be a Premier League player next season, the other two being Ross Stewart and Nathan Broadhead.

That bodes well both for Sunderland’s eye for a player and their ability to develop them, even if the disappointment of losing Clarke will certainly be felt on Wearside.