Tottenham Hotspur sold Jack Clarke permanently in the summer after the winger endured something of a nightmare spell in North London in which he never made his Premier League debut for the club.
Clarke returned to Sunderland having helped the Black Cats seal promotion out of League One. According to Alasdair Gold, the fee Spurs received for the 22-year-old was a ‘low’ one initially. But the deal could ultimately net Tottenham a fee of £10 million.
And the early signs hint that Clarke may indeed net Spurs a good chunk of the full fee.
Clarke flying for Sunderland after Tottenham exit
Sunderland are now in the play-off places in their first year back in the Championship. And they sent out a real statement on Tuesday, with Tony Mowbray’s men beating QPR 3-0 at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.
Clarke did not have his best night overall. And yet, he scored twice to seal the victory in the second-half.
In fact, he now has six goals and six assists in the Championship. Only seven players have set up more goals in the second tier this term.
Meanwhile, he has eight goals and seven assists in all competitions. That record includes goals in both games against Fulham in the FA Cup.
Of course, Spurs fans are probably not looking at what Clarke is doing and thinking that they made a mistake letting him go. Ultimately, the move did not work out for anyone.
And considering that Richarlison is struggling for minutes in Antonio Conte’s side, it is not as though Clarke would get any game-time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium had he stayed.
But he is providing a reminder of why Spurs did sign him in the first place. And hopefully for Tottenham, his form is only increasing the likelihood of the club receiving the maximum amount for him in the future.