Leeds United starlet Jack Clarke could be set to go back to his parent club Tottenham Hotspur in January despite interest from Nottingham Forest, SportingLife says (via Nottingham Post).
The report claims that Clarke is ‘likely’ to go back to Spurs in the winter transfer window as the club have the option of doing that in the deal that was signed with the Peacocks this past summer.
There is a claim of interest from some Championship clubs and one of them being Forest, who are looking to add another winger to their armory in the upcoming winter transfer window.
Football.London also state that Spurs have the option of recalling the 18-year-old if the current loan deal isn’t working for the young Englishman. They feel that is highly likely that this does happen two months on.
Far from a starter at Leeds
Clarke joined Spurs this past summer from Leeds for a fee of £10million. But the Lilywhites loaned the youngster back to the Yorkshire club, hoping that he will play regular football under Marcelo Bielsa.
This season hasn’t gone to plan though, as Clarke has failed to feature in a single Championship game for the Whites. However, he has played twice in the League Cup under the Argentine, playing on the left-wing.
Last season, he had played in 22 Championship games for the club. He managed to score twice, racking up a tally of two assists too. Premier League giants Manchester City were interested in signing the youngster in 2017, but he is thought to had snubbed the move and signed a new deal at Elland Road instead.
TIF Tactics
Clarke should still be seen as the future at Tottenham, considering that he is 18 and he still has a lot of time on his hands before he ends up making a break into the first-team.
But that break should not come now. Clarke did not play regularly for Leeds last season as well, meaning that he needs regular first-team football at a Championship club before he comes into the Spurs first-team in a season or two.
The Whites clearly don’t have plans for him. If they did, they would have played him at least for a minute in the Championship. Spurs should be happy that they have the option to recall him in January because his progress at Leeds seems to be stalling.
As for Forest, they do not have a regular left-wing player this season. Sammy Ameobi has played eight times in that position, Joao Carvalho has done so twice. A move for Clarke could be worth a gamble as the youngster may bring in the youthful exuberance and energy that the team may need in the second half of a difficult campaign.