Leeds United’s loan of Jack Clarke is beginning to feel rather pointless
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As Patrick Bamford popped up with two of the easiest goals he’ll score in his career against Wigan last month, a player still trying to make his name in the game was nowhere to be seen.
That individual was Jack Clarke, a young performer who has taken an opposite career path to the 25-year-old.
Bamford played much of his youth football at Premier League Chelsea before dropping down the leagues to the likes of Middlesbrough and now Leeds.
Clarke, however, started in the second division and has now worked his way onto top-flight Tottenham at an older age.
But despite now being Spurs’ property, concerns may lie southward regarding his lack of action in the 2019/20 season.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men snapped up the 18-year-old for a fee of £10m this summer, a considerable price for someone who only started four Championship games last season.
And indeed, he is yet to start a league game in this campaign.
He has, however, started two Carabao Cup outings versus Salford and Stoke City, though he was hauled off for Jack Harrison at half-time after failing to make his mark against the Potters.
The fact he failed to inspire in either cup match rather sums up what Clarke is to Leeds at this stage.
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Marcelo Bielsa hasn’t named the teenager on the bench for any of Leeds’ last four Premier League fixtures, and that’s perhaps a damning indictment of what the Argentine thinks about him.
But there is an awkward aspect to the situation that is clearly influencing the selection policy. The teenager has become a victim of only being able to include five loan players in a matchday squad, something that could halt his progress this term.
The majority of Leeds’ transfer business in the summer was of a temporary nature, as they welcomed Ben White, Helder Costa, Jack Harrison, Illan Meslier and Eddie Nketiah through the doors of Elland Road on loan deals.
Harrison, in particular, has made a big impact since returning from Manchester City, scoring on the opening weekend and playing nine key passes in his first six appearances.
And his form has been key in keeping Costa out of the side, a player who has a fine record in the Championship, scoring 15 goals across two terms.
If the Portuguese is struggling to get in the side, Clarke doesn’t really stand a chance.
Whether or not Leeds wanted the player back on loan after selling him, they’ve now been lumped with what feels like a rather pointless individual.
The academy man is a winger by trade and that makes it all the more tricky to see where he fits in this season.
That’s the one area of the pitch the Whites have players in abundance. Pablo Hernandez and Harrison have already scored whilst Costa has looked threatening in sporadic bursts, most notable against Salford when he created two goals and also against Brentford when he burst free of the defence and set the ball on a silver platter for Eddie Nketiah to notch a late winner.
Clarke’s solitary outing this term was out of position per Wyscout, and he also failed to muster much end product.
The youngster played at right-wing back in the League Cup clash against Salford, a position unfamiliar to him, yet it paints a concerning picture of what could be about to come for Clarke in 2019/20.
Playing in that position is unlikely to help and the fact he only registered four touches in the opposition’s penalty area says a lot.
Throughout the time he was on the field he created just one chance. That’s akin to the 0.4 accurate crosses he played per 90 minutes in the Championship last season, according to WhoScored.
If Clarke is to push for a first-team place, then creating more has to be at the top of his agenda.
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After all, Hernandez laid on 12 assists last season whilst Costa has 14 across the two he spent in the league with Wolves.
On that evidence, Clarke will again struggle for minutes this season and after being left out of four match day squads there’s no doubt the immediate future looks bleak.
For both parties, Spurs and Leeds, this has been an awkward waste of everyone’s time.
After all, why would Bielsa hand opportunities to someone like Clarke when they know they’re losing him permanently? The Leeds manager has handed matchday experience to Mateusz Bogusz this season whilst Jamie Shackleton continues to be trusted.
Another teenager in Alfie McCalmont has also been handed a chance.
Yet, when it comes to league action, there is a distinct lack of Clarke in the side.
The heroic golden boy of last season has suddenly morphed into a disposable and alarmingly peripheral figure.
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