Jack Clarke has picked up where he left off as Sunderland begin their 2024-25 campaign.
The winger finished with 19 assists last season despite a hugely disappointing 16th-placed finish for the Black Cats.
Clarke attracted a lot of interest last term and is expected to make a move from Sunderland this summer, but is still awaiting bids for his signature.
With his future unclear, Sunderland are making the most of his retention and he continues to play a key role in attack.
The 23-year-old pulled off his signature move to double the Black Cats’ lead against Cardiff City and is currently expected to retain his position against Sheffield Wednesday next week.
However, the transfer window is only a few weeks away and things could change in a matter of days and fans will be desperate for him to stay at the Stadium of Light for another year.
Ian Harte shares cryptic posts on social media
However, Clarke’s agent Ian Harte was clearly keen to stir things up at the weekend, sharing a photo of Sunderland’s training ground on X with the caption: “Nice afternoon at @SunderlandAFC.”
The announcement sent fans into a frenzy, with some believing it meant he was negotiating a move to the Premier League, while others hoped the club were tying him down to a new contract.
However, reporter James Copley was quick to dampen fans’ hopes, replying to X with: “I think there was a match of some description on AoL today. Don’t think it’s transfer related.”
One supporter then responded with, “I really think there’s something to it,” to which Copley said, “I said there wasn’t.”
There is no chance of Clarke signing a new deal this summer
Sunderland fans are disappointed by Copley’s revelation, but they certainly never thought Clarke would actually sign a new contract.
The striker now seems far more likely to stay this season than he did a month ago, although he doesn’t seem to have too many complaints if that is the case.
Clarke could be a hero if he helps Sunderland to promotion while being the pick of the bunch next summer.
However, there is no doubt that he would effectively leave next summer at the latest, and penning a new contract is a bad idea for him at this point.
Unless it was just to get Sunderland more money when he left, Clarke needs to move to the Premier League shortly before the club withdraw him.
Of course, there is a chance that he can take us to the top flight himself, but he doesn’t want to risk staying in the Championship longer than necessary.
Clarke deserved a move to a Premier League club, but let’s just hope it doesn’t happen for another year.