Leeds United fell to a 3-1 defeat at Southampton on Saturday afternoon in the Championship, while former side-mate Jack Clarke helped Sunderland to a 3-0 win away from home against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday evening. Both sides are aiming to finish second in the Championship this season and secure automatic promotion to the top flight. Sunderland are now fourth with 16 points from 9 games, six points behind second-placed Ipswich Town, while Leeds are down in ninth place with 13 points from 9 games. Saturday afternoon saw Daniel Farke’s side lose 3-1 at Southampton.
Clarke has turned himself into a goalscorer at Sunderland after failing to make much of an impact at Spurs. The 22-year-old arrived on a permanent basis in 2022, following a loan spell at the club. Last season, Clarke scored nine goals in the Championship and provided 12 assists, and it is now highly probable that he will easily top his goal-total from the previous season
In 2019, Leeds sold Clarke to Spurs for an undisclosed sum (Sky Sports) for an 18-year-old deal. At the time, Clarke was just 18 years old, but he has come a long way since then and is now a much better, more mature player. At just 22 years old, Clarke still has a long way to go.
The Sunderland manager has praised Jack Clarke’s progress, saying: “Jack is a fantastic footballer. He’s really positive and really confident right now. It’s amazing to think that two and a half years ago, when I was manager at Blackburn Rovers and Jack Clarke was playing for the U23s, he didn’t get a single shot on target against our young side. Something incredible has happened to him and he’s now playing with a lot of confidence and faith in himself.”
Mowbray added: “Jack is an unplayable player at times. You don’t know whether he’s going down the field or cutting inside and bending it in, as he did for that first goal.
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