Jack Clarke (footballer, born 2000)

Jack Clarke

Personal information
Full name	Jack Raymond Clarke [1]
Date of birth	(2000-11-23) 23 November 2000 (age 23)
Place of birth	York, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.81 m) [2]
Position(s)	Winger, forward
Team information
Current team	Sunderland
Number	20
Youth career
–2009	Heworth
2009–2018	Leeds United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2019	Leeds United	22	(2)
2019–2022	Tottenham Hotspur	0	(0)
2019	→ Leeds United (loan)	1	(0)
2020	→ Queens Park Rangers (loan)	6	(0)
2021	→ Stoke City (loan)	14	(0)
2022	→ Sunderland (loan)	17	(1)
2022–	Sunderland	83	(24)
International career‡
2019–2020	England U20	6	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:11, 20 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12:46, 22 March 2020 (UTC)

Jack Raymond Clarke (born 23 November 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Sunderland. He represented England U20s at international level. ^[3]

Early life and education

Clarke was born in York, England, and attended Archbishop Holgate's School in York. ^{[4] [5]}

Career

Leeds United

After winning his division with under-eights' junior side Heworth, Clarke joined Leeds United's academy in 2009. ^{[5] [6]} He graduated through their academy and, together with Niall Huggins, signed a two-year scholarship with Leeds United in May 2017. ^[5] After impressing for Leeds' under 23s, then head coach Thomas Christiansen revealed he was going to put Clarke in his first team squad for an EFL Cup fixture against Leicester City in November 2017. However, due to the club's not having a professional contract with him at the time, Christiansen did not want to alert other clubs. ^[7] After interest from Premier League side Manchester City, on 24 November 2017 Clarke signed a professional contract at Leeds United. ^[8]

For the 2018–19 season Clarke was given the number 47 shirt ^[9] and made his professional debut on 6 October 2018, coming on as a late substitute in Leeds' 1–1 draw against Brentford at Elland Road. ^[10] He scored his first goal for the club in the 56th minute of the league tie against Aston Villa at Villa Park on 23 December 2018, having come on as a half-time substitute for loanee Jack Harrison. ^[11] He made his first career start in the FA Cup third-round game against Queens Park Rangers, playing all 90 minutes in a 2–1 defeat. ^[12] Clarke made his first league start for Leeds in a 2–0 win against Derby County on 11 January 2019, and received plaudits in the same match after assisting both goals and winning the man of the match award. ^{[13] [14]} During the second half of Leeds' 1–1 league tie at Middlesbrough on 9 February 2019, Clarke, who had been substituted at half-time, was stretchered off the substitutes bench in the second half and taken to hospital after collapsing. ^[15] The ensuing 12 minutes of added time yielded the visitors' equaliser courtesy of Kalvin Phillips and Clarke was kept under supervision at James Cook University Hospital until the following day. ^{[16] [17]} After a spell out recovering with a virus believed to be behind the health scare, Marcelo Bielsa revealed that Clarke would return to training on 4 March. ^[18] He returned to the first team on 16 March as a 77th-minute replacement for Luke Ayling and went on to make seven further appearances that season, albeit none of them as part of the starting lineup. He was one of three players nominated for the club's end of season awards for Young Player Of The Season alongside Tyler Roberts and Jamie Shackleton, with Clarke winning the award on 28 April 2019, at the club's annual ceremony. ^[19] During the 2018–19 season, Clarke played 25 games in all competitions, scoring two goals, after Leeds finished the regular season in third place having dropped out of the automatic promotion places with three games left following a defeat to 10-man Wigan on 19 April. ^[20] Leeds qualified for the playoffs versus sixth-placed Derby County, with Clarke coming on as a second-half substitute in the first leg of the playoffs (a 1–0 away win at Pride Park), and playing as a second-half substitute in the return leg as Leeds lost 2–4 in an encounter that saw Leeds down to 10 men after Gaetano Berardi was red-carded, the loss seeing Derby progress 4–3 on aggregate to the final against Aston Villa. ^[21]

Tottenham Hotspur

On 2 July 2019, Clarke signed for Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur for an undisclosed fee until 2023. The fee was believed to be in the region of £10 million, with further add ons. ^[22]

As part of the deal taking him to Tottenham, on the same day, Clarke re-joined Leeds on loan for the entirety of the 2019–20 season. ^[23] He made his second debut for the club on 13 August in the EFL Cup against Salford City, ^[24] and featured in the second round against Stoke City. ^[25]

Clarke eventually made his first league appearance of the season on 23 November at Kenilworth Road, when he came on as a 71st-minute substitute in Leeds' 2–1 win against Luton Town for Tyler Roberts. ^[26] On 27 December, Clarke's loan to Leeds was terminated early after he was recalled by parent club Tottenham by new manager José Mourinho, due to a lack of playing time at Elland Road, having made only three appearances during his brief return to the Whites. ^[27] Leeds' manager Marcelo Bielsa commented, "I am very grateful with Clarke. He made his contribution in this part of the season, even if I didn't use him. In the last days, he improved his performance, but just when this process was going on Tottenham decided to ask Leeds for Clarke to come back." ^[28]

He signed for Queens Park Rangers on a six-month loan deal on 16 January 2020 ^[29] and made his debut for QPR two days later, coming on as a substitute against his former club Leeds in a match that ended in a 1–0 win for the Londoners. ^[30]

Clarke made his debut for Tottenham on 22 October 2020, coming off the bench as an 86th-minute substitute for Carlos Vinícius in the Europa League against LASK. ^[31]

On 14 January 2021 Clarke joined Stoke City on loan until the end of the 2020–21 season. ^[32] Clarke played 14 times for Stoke before he suffered a season-ending achilles injury at the start of April. ^[33]

He joined Sunderland on loan until the end of the 2021–22 season on 26 January 2022. ^[34]

Sunderland

On 9 July 2022, he joined Sunderland on a permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee on a four-year deal. ^[35]

International career

On 30 August 2019, Clarke received his first international call up as a member of the England U20s squad. ^[3]

He made his England U20s debut on 5 September 2019 in a 0-0 draw against Netherlands U20s. ^[36] Clarke scored his first goal for the U20s with the late winner during a 1–0 victory in Switzerland on 9 September 2019. ^[37]

Style of play

Clarke is a versatile forward, who can play as a winger on either side. He can also play as a striker. ^[38] He is known for his pace and his dribbling skills, as well as his ability to run at opposition defenders and take them on. ^[39]

Personal life

Former Leeds United and Republic of Ireland left-back, Ian Harte, acts as Clarke's agent. ^[40]

Career statistics

As of match played 20 April 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Leeds United	2018–19 [41]	Championship	22	2	1	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	25	2
Tottenham Hotspur	2019–20 [42]	Premier League	0	0	—		—		0	0	0	0
	2020–21 [43]	Premier League	0	0	1	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	3	0
	2021–22 [44]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 3]	0	1	0
	Total		0	0	1	0	0	0	3	0	4	0
Leeds United (loan)	2019–20 [42]	Championship	1	0	—		2	0	—		3	0
Queens Park Rangers (loan)	2019–20 [42]	Championship	6	0	1	0	—		—		7	0
Stoke City (loan)	2020–21 [43]	Championship	14	0	—		—		—		14	0
Tottenham Hotspur U21	2021–22 [44]	—			—		—		3 [lower-alpha 4]	1	3	1
Sunderland (loan)	2021–22 [44]	League One	17	1	0	0	0	0	3 [lower-alpha 5]	0	20	1
Sunderland	2022–23 [45]	Championship	45	9	3	2	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	50	11
	2023–24 [46]	Championship	38	15	1	0	1	0	—		40	15
	Total		83	24	4	2	1	0	2	0	90	26
Career total			142	27	7	2	3	0	13	1	165	30

1. Appearances in Championship play-offs
2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
3. Appearance in UEFA Europa Conference League
4. Appearances in EFL Trophy
5. Appearances in EFL League One play-offs

Honours

Sunderland

• EFL League One play-offs: 2022 ^[47]

Individual

• EFL Championship Player of the Month: September 2023 ^[48]
• Leeds United Young Player of the Year: 2018–19

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Leeds United" (PDF). English Football League. p. 36. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
2. "Player Profile: Striker Jack Clarke". Queens Park Rangers F.C. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
3. "ENGLAND U20S OPEN SEASON AGAINST NETHERLANDS AND SWITZERLAND WITH A 21-MAN SQUAD". The FA. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
4. Jack Clarke at Soccerway. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
5. Appleyard, Ian (18 May 2017). "York teenagers land two year scholarships at Championship club Leeds United". York Press. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
6. "Talented U8s take title glory". York Press. 2 May 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
7. Sobot, Lee (25 November 2017). "Teenage forward Clarke very much in Leeds United coach Christiansen's thoughts". Yorkshire Evening Post. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
8. Harris, Alex (24 November 2017). "Leeds news: Man City target Jack Clarke explains why he snubbed Premier League interest". Express. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
9. "2018/19 SQUAD NUMBERS ANNOUNCED". Leeds United. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
10. "REPORT: LEEDS UNITED 1–1 BRENTFORD". Leeds United. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
11. "Aston Villa 2-3 Leeds United: Whites come from two goals down to go top of Championship". BBC Sport. 23 December 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
12. "Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Leeds United in FA Cup third round". BBC Sport. 6 January 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
13. "REPORT: LEEDS UNITED 2-0 DERBY COUNTY". www.leedsunited.com. Leeds United. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
14. "Gary Lineker leads the plaudits for Leeds United youngster Jack Clarke after Derby masterclass". Leeds Live. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
15. "Relief as Leeds United winger Jack Clarke discharged from hospital". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
16. "'Everything is looking well' - Jack Clarke to return home but will sit out Leeds United training after health scare". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
17. "Angus Kinnear on Jack Clarke". Leeds United. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
18. "Marcelo Bielsa reveals Jack Clarke comeback plan as Leeds United remain unchanged for Bristol City trip". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
19. "PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2019 WINNERS". Leeds United F.C. 28 April 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
20. "Leeds 1 Wigan 2". BBC Sport. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
21. "Leeds United 2-4 Derby County (3-4 agg): Jack Marriott scores twice to send Rams to Wembley". BBC Sport. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
22. "Tottenham sign Jack Clarke from Leeds Utd and loan him back to Championship club". BBC Sport. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
23. "JACK CLARKE RETURNS TO LEEDS UNITED ON LOAN". Leeds United. 2 July 2019.
24. "Report: Salford City 0-3 Leeds United". www.leedsunited.com. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
25. "Leeds United 2-2 Stoke City". BBC Sport. 27 August 2019.
26. "Luton Town 1-2 Leeds United". BBC Sport. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
27. "Jack Clarke to be recalled: winger to return to Spurs in January". leedsunited.com. 27 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
28. "Jack Clarke: Tottenham recall winger from Leeds loan spell". Sky Sports. 27 December 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
29. "Jack Clarke completes QPR loan move". Queens Park Rangers. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
30. Guest, Rob (20 January 2020). "Jack Clarke has the last laugh against Leeds United and Spurs youngster makes return from injury". HITC.
31. Chowdhury, Saj (22 October 2020). "Tottenham Hotspur 3 - 0 LASK". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
32. "Breaking - Stoke City seal third signing of January transfer window". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
33. "Winger heading back to Spurs as Stoke City suffer fifth season-ending injury". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
34. "Jack Clarke arrives on loan". Sunderland AFC. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
35. "Jack Clarke signs four-year deal". Sunderland AFC. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
36. "ENGLAND U20S KICK OFF NEW CAMPAIGN WITH A GOALLESS DRAW AGAINST HOLLAND". FA. 5 September 2019.
37. "A STOPPAGE-TIME GOAL FROM JACK CLARKE SEALS WIN IN SWITZERLAND FOR THE YOUNG LIONS". The FA. 9 September 2019.
38. "Manchester City plotting January move for Leeds United wonderkid Jack Clarke". Talksport. 5 December 2018.
39. Dawes, Olly (2 December 2018). "Marcelo Bielsa raves about Leeds United's Jack Clarke". HITC. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
40. "Jack Clarke: Leeds United teenager released from hospital". BBC Sport. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
41. "Games played by Jack Clarke in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
42. "Games played by Jack Clarke in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
43. "Games played by Jack Clarke in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
44. "Games played by Jack Clarke in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
45. "Games played by Jack Clarke in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
46. "Games played by Jack Clarke in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
47. Paddy, Chris (21 May 2022). "Sunderland 2–0 Wycombe". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
48. "See the Sky Bet Championship Manager and Player of the Month winners for September". www.efl.com. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.

External links

• Jack Clarke at Soccerway
• Jack Clarke at Soccerbase