Jack Clarke wants to do even better for Sunderland next season
Jack Clarke thinks he can do even better for Sunderland next season despite being one of the standouts of the 2023/24 campaign.
Clarke, 23, scored 15 goals and supplied four assists in 40 Championship appearances last term.
However, an ankle injury in February led to him missing six league games and in the seven games that followed, he failed to register a direct goal contribution.
Clarke admits that he might have been off-the-pace after he returned from the sidelined in April and is aiming to improve in the upcoming 2024/25 Championship season.
“I’d like to think I can keep improving and as a team we can keep improving, but they might just be words,” said Clarke, as quoted by We Are Sunderland on Thursday (18 July).
“But you’d like to think I can, and we can, and that’s what I’m striving for, so we’ll see.”
“In a sense [last season was really good] but I still feel like I could have brought a lot more. I’ll try to bring a lot more as the season unfolds. There was still a lot of chances I missed and still a lot more I could have done, hopefully I’ll bring that this season.
“Thankfully for me the break came at a good time to give my injury a rest and time to heal. Like everyone else, I’m still trying to get up to match speed and fitness and dust off the cobwebs. Hopefully by the time the season starts I’ll be back at my best.”
Will Jack Clarke be a Sunderland player for next season?
Clarke’s form last season, plus his age and the fact he’s English, means that he’s cropped onto the radar of a number of Premier League clubs.
The ex-Leeds academy ace joined the Black Cats from Tottenham on a permanent basis in July 2022 after a successful half-season loan at the Stadium of Light.
He never really had a chance to impress in North London and a step down to the Championship from Spurs was a bit of a coup for those on Wearside.
West Ham have been routinely linked with taking the forward back to London [Chronicle] but so far, it seems as though the York-born ace will be staying put in the North-East.
Sunderland can demand a lot of money for him due to him still having two years left on his contract but a decision needs to be made sooner rather than later on whether he’s sold because unless he signs fresh terms, he might have to go in January or next summer to prevent a free transfer.
In other Sunderland news, Harrogate have signed a player who was released by the Black Cats.
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