Tottenham sign Jack Clarke from Leeds: Grade, reaction and more
The pending transfer of Tanguy Ndombele is dominating the minds of Tottenham fans, but Jack Clarke is likely going to end up at Hotspur Way first.
It’s been well over 500 days since Tottenham signed Lucas Moura away from PSG. Leeds’ winger Jack Clarke is set to break Spurs’ ugly transfer streak. The question to ask now is whether or not Mauricio Pochettino and company have made a good deal to bring in the 18-year-old Englishman.
According to the BBC, the base transfer fee for Clarke will send Leeds £10 million. There are apparently some clauses that could push several more million towards the Championship club, but it’s highly unlikely the fee can rise over £12 million. For the purposes of this discussion, that difference does not matter to a club with Tottenham’s resources.
The swoop for Clarke is getting a fair amount of attention from Spurs fans, but they’ve been starved for any type of activity. Ultimately, this amounts to a risk-free punt from the North London club. If Clarke does develop into a first team regular of any kind then £10 million will look like an absolute bargain. Even if he can’t find his way into Pochettino’s first team, it’s very likely Spurs can sell him for somewhere around their initial investment in a couple of seasons.
Of course, Tottenham are hoping that Clarke develops the latest Leeds man to make a successful transition to Spurs. Aaron Lennon was the most recent player to make that move, and like Gazza, Clarke does his best work from the wing.
Unlike Lennon, Clarke appears to be a player with a real penchant to make good decisions in the final third. He was predominantly used as an impact substitute by Leeds last season. Each time he entered the fray he did his best to take men on from the wing. Clarke also showed a good ability to cross the ball into dangerous spaces as well as threaten the opposing goal on his own.
In all fairness, Clarke isn’t a player who will impact Tottenham’s first team all that much next season. The gap between the Championship and Premier League is vast. The fact that he couldn’t crack Leeds’ starting XI on a regular basis means he’ll struggle to earn first team minutes at Tottenham.
That means Spurs have paid £10 million for a player who is likely to be limited to U23 and Cup competitions next season. That might seem a bit excessive, but the club aren’t purchasing Clarke for what he can do in 2019 or 2020. Instead, they’re trying to buy low on the English attacker before he comes into his own as a footballer.
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As such, this is an excellent piece of business for Spurs. The club have a great history of buying young, English talent and turning them into stars under Pochettino. Clarke has every chance to be the latest player to enjoy that ascendancy. Even if he doesn’t, Tottenham won’t miss the relatively minor fee they are shelling out for him.