After he’d broken onto the scene at Leeds, there would have been a sense of sadness at seeing Jack Clarke move on so soon after showcasing what he could do.
The winger made the step-up to the Premier League with Tottenham back in the summer of 2019, before being sent back on loan to Elland Road for the entire season.
The £9m arrival was once dubbed a “huge talent” by former Leeds assistant Carlos Corberan whilst Marcelo Bielsa hailed him as someone who has “the capacity to create a difference”.
There’s no doubting that he looked a real prospect when he first burst onto the scene, with Noel Whelan waxing-lyrical about him back in 2019, saying:
“He has got a great ability to glide past players. I don’t think I’ve seen a winger really as talented as that, where it looks effortless, just to take somebody on and he really does get you on the edge of your seat, he’s one of those exciting players.”
In fact, after watching the then 18-year-old shine in an impressive 2-0 win against Derby County in the Championship, Gary Lineker took to Twitter to rave about the teenager.
He said: “Not the first Clarke to strut his stuff at Elland Road, but Jack Clarke looks a player. Another talented young English footballer born in 2000.”
But, things just haven’t quite worked out for him since his move to Tottenham, with just three first-team appearances to his name for the Lilywhites.
Clarke has spent most of his time in the past couple of years out on loan at the likes of QPR and Stoke, and it’s been no surprise that according to Transfermarkt, his value is now at a measly £4.5m – exactly half what Spurs paid.
That’s a real indication of just how much of a step backwards his career has taken since Spurs signed him, and exactly why Victor Orta and co made a genius call in allowing him to leave in 2019.
It now seems like Orta cashed out at the perfect time, getting good money for a young talent who had played just a small handful of first-team games for Leeds.
Meanwhile, Victor Orta pulled off an absolute masterclass for Leeds with this signing…