In the end, everything transpired rather swiftly after a great deal of doubt.
There was no protracted tale, no back-and-forth in public, and no bidding war between many teams; instead, this week saw a quick resolution following Ipswich’s approach for Jack Clarke.
Without Sunderland’s best player of the previous two seasons, head coach Regis Le Bris now has the task of facing maybe the strongest squad in the division.
However, it was always more likely than not that Clarke would go this summer, which is why the Black Cats prepared a list of possible successors prior to the start of the transfer season. We’ll talk about that and the next events later, but first, let’s take a look at how this week’s events came to pass and the reasons Southampton finally approved the star’s departure after he demonstrated his value in the wins against Sheffield Wednesday and Cardiff City.
Enquiries concerning Clarke’s circumstances and availability have been made in the past few weeks, but until this week, none of the teams keeping an eye on the winger made a bid. That is, until Ipswich. And instead of taking a tentative step, the Tractor Boys moved right away to make what Sunderland considered a serious offer, forcing the Black Cats to make a choice.
Sunderland had the option to negotiate with the Premier League team, but they were conscious that time was of the essence and that finding a replacement would have become even more challenging if the situation had continued into the following week and the last days of the window.
In the end, they were satisfied with the agreement—that is, as satisfied as you can be when you lose your finest player. The £15 million upfront payment to the Black Cats will increase to £18 million in the next 12 months. The agreement also includes a sell-on clause.
Many supporters of Sunderland would disagree, arguing that Ipswich has emerged victorious from this arrangement. They will cite the transfer of several Championship players to the Premier League for higher salaries (Leeds received £40 million for Georginio Rutter and £25 million for Crysencio Summerville, for example) and argue that the Black Cats ought to have pressed for more.
Sunderland would bring up the terms of Clarke’s contract. The 23-year-old was nearing the end of his contract, and there were no indications that a deal would be found to extend it.
What if, though, Clarke had excelled once more this season, led a team that placed in the top six, and exceeded the goals and assists total from the previous campaign? Should he have been entering the last year of his contract, Sunderland would have been entitled to receive at least the amount they had agreed upon with Ipswich.
The Black Cats contend that Clarke’s worth decreases with each passing window and that even if Ipswich had been the only team to make a bid this summer, there’s no guarantee they could have sold the winger a year later.
Clarke’s wishes should also be considered. The athlete has behaved himself properly and done a great job handling the rumours and doubts around his future. He has never pounded on the door, demanding a transfer, or performed below par in practise or on the pitch. But he did make it known that he was interested in playing Premier League football.
And Sunderland’s inability to even come close to matching the cash package that Ipswich gave Clarke is just a fact of life in the Championship.
What happens next will determine Sunderland’s fate in this situation, not Clarke’s departure alone.
From a financial standpoint, it is certainly successful to sign a player for less than £1 million and sell him for more than £15 million; however, as Brentford and Brighton have both shown in recent seasons, this model only functions if the outgoing player is adequately replaced.
Even if Clarke’s departure has increased revenue, Sunderland won’t be spending more than £5 million on a player in the coming week. Why? Because the Black Cats were unable to move while Clarke’s future was unknown, and because several of the players they had sought had already gone on this summer.Furthermore, knowing that the Wearsiders have recently acquired large sums of money and are seeking to replace their top player, selling clubs would undoubtedly put a tax to any Sunderland targets.
However, Sunderland has to bolster their forward line even more now that Wilson Isidor is on board if they hope to prevent the disillusionment in the stands that greeted Clarke’s departure from turning to rage.
Strikes for Roko Simic are still ongoing, and Alexandre Mendy is still being pursued. Before Friday’s deadline, Sunderland is reportedly in need of a left-sided attacker and one more striker. Isidor would be deployed more on the left, where he is most at ease, and he would compete with Romaine Mundle for the shirt if, for instance, Simic and Mendy—two pure strikers—arrived.
Here, Mundle might be the clear winner. He’s not quite ready and erratic, but then again, so was a previous Tottenham winger who he now has the opportunity to replace. With Mundle, though, there will be tolerance.
Whatever the outcome, Sunderland must figure out how to move forward without Clarke and reintegrate the winger into the Premier League.
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