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Jack Clarke


We don't have to, no, but if he wants to go and tells us as much we're not doing ourselves any favours by forcing him to stay. You do that then the player's unhappy, his value in later windows drops, and you deter potential signings from joining if they think the club's going to prevent them from advancing their career if they do well. Best outcome for all parties then is to just make the best deal you can.
He didn’t hand in a transfer request.
Unfortunately, one of the first rule of economics is something/ someone is worth what people are prepared to pay for it/ them.

I get we love the lad, but if he was worth £30m, people would have been banging the door down if they could get him for £20m.
hmm… I’m not sure how else I can say this as I don’t speak any other languages

WE DIDNT HAVE TO SELL HIM.

If Ipswich weren’t prepared to meet our asking price then we don’t have to lower it. They should be making us an offer we can’t refuse if they want to take our best player. We sold an injured Ross Stewart with only 6 months on his contract left for £10m. In what f***ing world is a fit and in form Jack Clarke who has 2 years left on his contract only worth £15m?
 
You say "shit fee", the club would probably say "the best offer that was on the table". I suppose we could have tried a bit of brinkmanship to drive the bidding up over the next week but then we'd have no time to reinvest the money.
It's a catch 22 for ownership really. Jack wanted to leave. Sell in time to buy our targets before the close of the window and get blasted for selling for too little. Or wait too late, maybe not get an improved offer, and then have no time to bring in reinforcements. Either way the moaners were going to slate the owners. Like always.

This isn't a situation that popped up overnight either. Jack Clarke has been in the shop window for a very long time. Everyone seems to forget when he tweaked his ankle last season in the spring - he still finished the game against Birmingham on 2/17/24. Then he was out for six weeks - many reported and agreed that it may be the last time we saw Jack Clarke in a Sunderland jersey. He came back into the starting line up against Bristol City on 4/6/24 and didn't score or assist again for the remaining six games. We scored one goal in those final six games.

Has everyone forgotten all of this?!
 
He didn’t hand in a transfer request.
You have no idea if he requested to leave or not. Just because he didn't announce it to the press doesn't mean he didn't ask in private to be allowed to leave if a bid comes in from the PL. The only reason we would hear about a transfer request would be if the club told him they're not letting him go and he told the press he wanted out to force the club's hand. Clearly it didn't come to that.
 
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He's been our best player by a mile man. Amazing how suddenly Jobe and the others have leapt above him once he's gone.
The comment and response was about potential or ceiling. Jobe and Rigg could very well be playing/starting for England. I don't think the same is true the others - hence the idea that they have a lower ceiling. Is Jack Clarke our best player - absolutely. I'm not denying that - but that's not the discussion we were having.
Am I missing summit? Sky said he was at Ipswich for a medical. Why are people going on like he's gonna knock it back?
Desperation?
 
Do that and will never get another promising young player again as we will be seen as blocking their pathway
Absolute rubbish, doesn’t stop other clubs getting proper fees.
Right, and now we're back to my initial comment about keeping a player against their wishes having plenty of downsides.
Indeed but there is not a shred of evidence that he’s strong armed us for a move to Ipswich.
 
Unfortunately, one of the first rule of economics is something/ someone is worth what people are prepared to pay for it/ them.

I get we love the lad, but if he was worth £30m, people would have been banging the door down if they could get him for £20m.
Southampton and Burnley were only prepared to pay 8-10m for him last summer, would you say that was his value then ? No chance
 
The comment and response was about potential or ceiling. Jobe and Rigg could very well be playing/starting for England. I don't think the same is true the others - hence the idea that they have a lower ceiling. Is Jack Clarke our best player - absolutely. I'm not denying that - but that's not the discussion we were having.

Desperation?
It was the discussion I was having. I said Rigg may in time. None of the others listed as in Patterson, Neil, Ballard nor Jobe have or will have a higher ceiling than Clarke.

If they have, they will be wanted. They're not , or they'd be gone.
 
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