Tottenham Hotspur could reportedly recall Jack Clarke from Leeds United with Everton keen to give him a chance in the Premier League.
If Tottenham Hotspur are frustrated about Jack Clarke’s lack of first team action at Leeds United, why on earth would they send the fleet-footed young winger to Goodison Park for the second half of the season?
That is the question Spurs fans everywhere should be asking with The Express claiming that Everton are one of three top-flight rivals keen to take Clarke on loan.
After one year and 25 appearances under Marcelo Bielsa, one of the Championship’s most exciting breakthrough stars was on his way to Tottenham Hotspur in a £10 million deal reminiscent of when a fresh-faced Aaron Lennon swapped Elland Road for North London in 2005.
Unlike Lennon, who established himself at Spurs in typically rapid fashion, Clarke returned to West Yorkshire in order to build on a fabulous debut season with Mauricio Pochettino’s old mentor Bielsa.
But, thanks to a rule which prevents Championship clubs from naming more than five domestic loanees in a matchday squad, Clarke has not made a single league appearance all season.
Things are unlikely to change any time soon barring a long-term injury for Jack Harrison or Helder Costa and, according to The Express, a less-than-impressed Tottenham could exercise a recall clause in Clarke’s contract when the January transfer window swings open.
The report adds that Crystal Palace, West Ham and Everton are willing to offer the 18-year-old the chance to prove himself in the Premier League. But if there’s one club who don’t need any more wingers, it’s surely Everton.
Theo Walcott can’t even get a game these days with Alex Iwobi, Moise Kean, Richarlison and Bernard all ahead of him in the pecking order so what chance would Clarke have of establishing himself in Marco Silva’s starting XI?
The former Hull City boss has worked wonders with raw talents like Richarlison and Kurt Zouma while Iwobi already looks like a man transformed since his summer move from Arsenal. The key, however, is that all three players have not been short of minutes. Clarke at Everton, however, has the feel of an impact sub dragged off the bench for the final ten minutes when Silva is desperate for an immediate impact.
West Ham, meanwhile, have Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko while Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha are still the main men at Crystal Palace.
Clarke, if he wants to progress enough to make an impression at Spurs, needs to be playing regular first-team football. Perhaps a loan spell to another Championship club, one who doesn’t already have five domestic loanees on their books, would be a better fit.
Tottenham have a tough decision to make.
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