Leading by 22-year-old winger Jack Clarke, Sunderland defeated Norwich City on Saturday and, after making the playoffs the previous year, are pushing for a spot in the top six.
Can Sunderland retain Jack Clarke, the top scorer in the Championship, come January?
Winger Clarke is their standout Premier League performer and the one who escaped for table-topping Tottenham Hotspur, which is why Tony Mowbray is posing the question.
With nine goals so far this season (four of which have come from penalty kicks), 22-year-old Clarke is attracting the attention of elite teams due to his close-quarters dribbling, cutting passes, and lung-busting desire for running.
What’s his value? Burnley, however, lost out on bids this summer that ranged from an insulting £5 million to £10 million, which is the price Spurs gave Leeds for him four years prior. And he’s now worth up to three times that following 12 goals and 59 appearances for Sunderland in the previous season.
Not to sell, but to create a marketing campaign is Mowbray’s goal. Furthermore, former chairman Bob Murray recently expressed his confidence that owner Kyril Louis Dreyfus won’t flog a star that is essential to a Premier League campaign.
Rather than letting Clarke watch footage of Thierry Henry cutting inside and passing the ball into the net with “no backlift” as his next trick, Mowbray is pushing for even greater improvement.
As Sunderland defeated a dejected-looking Norwich, Clarke scored a penalty and set up Dan Neil’s goal. Mowbray praised Clarke, saying: “He is a wonderful talent.” We made bids on him, so in January, we’ll have to see what the club’s thinking is like.
“This season, how many can he get? Jack is extremely effective if we can play as positively as we are currently and have aggressive moments.
“His ability to run aerobically is really high. He is a fast runner all day. a crucial quality for any football player. He will not stop scoring, damaging teams, and varying his style of play. I hope he’s having fun playing football and that the team will do everything in its power to keep him for a prosperous campaign.
“We discussed in the summer of last year that you need to score 70 goals to qualify for the playoffs. Diallo, Amad, had left. Who’s going to win them? Stewart (Ross) moved on. I didn’t think Clarke could match his 12 season contribution from the previous season. He’s on nine already.
“He has a charming disposition. He has thoughts about football. He pays attention. How close he keeps the ball to his foot is astounding. What a nice boy he is. He dresses in posh tracksuits and shoes, plays football, and messes with his hair. He is the quintessential football player.
“I also like Patrick Roberts. Can Patrick start to compete with him for goals and put some in the net? He should include objectives. Ideally, there are goals from both sides of the field. By then, perhaps, we could reach 70.
After one point in five games, City manager David Wagner is under pressure and acknowledges that there are legitimate concerns regarding his future. “This is a football manager’s life.”
