Sunderland chief warns 'sweet spot' might be approaching for Jack Clarke departure

Kristjaan Speakman has addressed the Jack Clarke contract question - and his comments sound worryingly familiar.

Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman says contract talks are ‘ongoing’ with Jack Clarke, although the critical time for deciding his future is fast approaching.

Clarke got his 17th goal contribution of the season at Middlesbrough, setting up Nazariy Rusyn as Sunderland earned a 1-1 draw at the Riverside.

He still has two-and-a-half years left on his current deal but talks to extend that contract were paused earlier this year with an agreement looking unlikely.

Jack Clarke: 'I enjoy every minute of playing for Sunderland'

In that sense, it has very much mirrored the Ross Stewart situation this time last year, and the message from Speakman is incredibly similar too.

Asked about Jack Clarke contract talks, Speakman said: “I don’t think it ever runs its course.

“There are always ongoing conversations. I think at the minute, everyone is really comfortable with where it sits, and those conversations will continue.

“There’s loads of things that can affect that as you go through, but we’ve always had really open dialogue with players and their agents.

“We talked a lot about Ross Stewart and there was never a case of on, off, on, off. It was just ongoing, and I just think that's the way it’s done in the modern game.”

Ultimately, though, while Speakman is clearly leaving the door open for an extended deal, he says everyone needs to face the reality that this summer will be a key moment in Clarke’s career.

He will have just two years left on his deal and his market value will only decrease from there. From Clarke’s point of view too, his stock may well never be higher, meaning he will likely have an awful lot of options.

“Every player has their own journey,” Speakman said. “I don't think there's ever a necessity to sell a player or for a player to move - it's just trying to find the right sweet spot for everybody.

“I don't think it's a situation where Jack would have to move in the summer, but eventually if you don't sign a new contract it starts to run down and eventually you're a free agent.

“I'm sure Jack doesn't want to go through that two-year period and neither do we, so it's just about discussing a contract, seeing where those parameters are at, and then seeing where the market is at with regards to what opportunities there may be for him to move on at some point.”

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