Jack Clarke has given a message to Sunderland fans after the club rejected several proposals for him in January.
Jack Clarke has long been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Burnley, Brentford, and West Ham all interested in signing him.
However, it was Serie A club Lazio that made repeated proposals for the winger in the latter moments of the window.
After failing to match Sunderland’s demands, Lazio moved their attentions away from Clarke and instead looked ready to sign Fenerbahce’s Ryan Kent.
While a move for the former Liverpool attacker fell through on deadline day, the Black Cats remained unconcerned and retained their important player.
Clarke returned to his customary place on the left side of the starting line-up when they traveled to Middlesbrough yesterday, providing a magnificent assist that allowed Nazariy Rusyn to square the score and score his second goal of the season.
Clarke has now responded to the interest expressed last month, admitting that he is still ‘happy’ on Wearside.
“I am happy to be here,” the 23-year-old told the Sunderland Echo. “I cherish every minute of playing for Sunderland and putting on my uniform. For me, the things that are mentioned on the outside do not worry me. “I’m happy as long as I come in every day wearing a Sunderland shirt.”
When will Jack Clarke leave Sunderland?
Sunderland has done an excellent job of keeping Jack Clarke, and this weekend’s performance demonstrated how lost we would be without him.
Michael Beale’s side struggled in the second half at the Riverside Stadium and appeared to be on the verge of defeat before Clarke did Clarke-things. Rusyn, of course, deserves credit for his outstanding work.
Clarke has now scored 17 goals in 30 Championship appearances and is simply too talented for this league.
We are not taking advantage of having someone of his caliber in the club, however, and will miss out on promotion this season before he is promised a move to the Premier League in the summer.
The former Tottenham Hotspur player will undoubtedly leave us after this season and deserves to play top-flight football, while we will realize how essential he was to us when we discover that he cannot be replaced.
