According to a tweet from Alan Nixon of the Sun, Tottenham Hotspur are exploring the possibility of recalling Jack Clarke from his Leeds United loan in the January transfer window. However, instead of keeping him at the North London club, Mauricio Pochettino will look to send him elsewhere so that he can continue with his development. Tottenham signed the 18-year-old winger for a fee of £10m and immediately decided to send him back for a season-long loan to Elland Road.
Why Spurs want him back?
However, Spurs would be glad that they have a clause to recall the youngster in January. Clarke, who had a breakthrough campaign last term, is yet to feature in the Championship this season. Marcelo Bielsa hasn’t even used him as a substitute in the league, and his only appearances have come in the Carabao Cup tie.
Therefore it is understandable why Spurs would want to have him back and send him somewhere else given the fact that he hardly seems to be in Bielsa’s plans this season. It has been quite a surprise to see him be ignored after he caught the eye last season as a 17-year-old. The young winger was often used as an impact substitute by the Whites, and he did go on to change a few games off the bench.
His directness and ability to beat defenders in a one on one situation has made him an ideal impact substitute. However, ever since that afternoon against Middlesbrough where the winger collapsed in the dugout, Clarke has struggled to get enough game time on the field.
Will Clarke’s departure in January be a loss for the Whites?
It is not yet clear whether Clarke has been ignored because of footballing reasons so far. However, we feel that he is a top talent and should be given a run in the first-team. The Whites does not have a large squad and injuries haven’t been too kind to them either since Bielsa took over. Therefore in a long gruelling season, a player like Clarke can make an impact even though he has been left frustrated thus far.
However, things are not in United’s hands at the moment as Spurs have the option to recall him. Bielsa will probably need to give him some starts or appearances off the bench to convince Spurs to let him stay at the Yorkshire club. As things stand, Pablo Hernandez, Helder Costa and Jack Harrison seem to be ahead of Clarke in the pecking order at Elland Road. The youngster’s struggled might continue in terms of getting more game time. However, there is no doubt that tt will be a loss for the Whites if Spurs decide to have him back in January.
