The offer was worth in excess of £9m and when it landed, Leeds United could not believe their luck. They rated Jack Clarke, that was not the issue, but in 2019 when he was sold to Tottenham Hotspur, they had not banked on a valuation so high. All round, it was a strange transfer. Tottenham’s coach, Mauricio Pochettino, was thoroughly indifferent about signing Clarke. The winger was going from decent game-time at Elland Road to most likely none at Spurs. Leeds, as part of their own strategy, had wasted no time cashing in on a strong academy product. For a good while, Leeds thought they had the better end of that deal. And perhaps they did. In that summer of 2019, it provided funding for a Championship club who were trying to give Marcelo Bielsa a second bite at promotion, while treading within the boundaries of the division’s Profit and Sustainability net. They went up 12 months later and were not once inclined to rue the loss of Clarke in return for seven figures. Clarke shimmied from loan to loan, resigned to being in Tottenham’s peripheral vision. But one bout of wrong-club, wrong-time does not need to define a career and Leeds would acknowledge that the Clarke who played against them away at Sunderland last night has — by going round the houses — justified Tottenham’s valuation of him. If he were sold tomorrow, he would earn Sunderland considerably more than the £9.4m Spurs committed four-and-a-half years ago and considerably more than the fee Sunderland themselves put up for him in 2022. His slow-burn growth underlines the complexity of youth recruitment: of knowing who to sell and when to sell, minus any guarantee that a maturing footballer will not leave you with regrets. Deals for academy footballers, or those recently graduated from one, come in different shapes and sizes. It was Leeds who were motivated to sell Clarke in 2019, so sell him they did under no great duress. But as they found a month or so ago, when they negotiated the exit of 15-year-old Finley Gorman to Manchester City, other scenarios involve more damage limitation, in which you have a weaker hand to pay. Gorman, one of the best English midfielders on the scene in his age category, had resolved not to sign a scholarship with Leeds and join City instead. So it was either drive up the price with City or take whatever smaller sum the standard compensation process yielded. No-one wanted Gorman to go, but facts were facts. please log in to view this image Clarke has attempted more dribbles than any other player in the Championship this season (MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images) No-one at Leeds wants Archie Gray to go any time soon either and fortunately, Gray occupies the middle ground between ‘quick, take the readies’ and ‘bollocks, what can we do?’ Leeds have him on a professional contract after outmanoeuvring the clubs who tried to get their claws into him when he turned 17 (and still would, given the chance). They will preempt the fact that when Gray turns 18 this March, the rules governing contracts allow them to sign him to tastier terms again. It is best not to put too much stock in Gray being a one-club man like his great uncle Eddie was because, well, you know how it is. But it is good that Leeds have a degree of control over a scenario they really wish to control. It was United’s academy old and new on one side of Sunderland’s pitch last night, Clarke as Sunderland’s left winger against Gray as Leeds’ right-back. The temptation is to think of Clarke as the kid he was when Leeds pushed him through because that is how the club remember him, and he is fresh-faced enough at 23. But nothing will make him feel older than the realisation that when he made his debut for Leeds in 2018, Gray was a mere 12 years old. Clarke has developed in the period when he had to, and one of the dangers for a highly-regarded prospect is the failure to spot when the tag of prospect no longer applies. please log in to view this image Clarke with Leeds in 2019 (Action Foto Sport/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Lewie Coyle, once the captain of Leeds’ Under-21s, summed this up perfectly. As a serious break in the first-team eluded him, various people at Leeds kept telling him that he had time on his side; that he was still a whippersnapper. Then Fulham came to Elland Road with a 16-year-old, Ryan Sessegnon, in their squad and whatever Coyle in his early 20s was, he wasn’t daft. Gray has been doing that to others in the Championship since August: making them feel their age, however old they are. But not yesterday and not with Clarke, who pulled rank on him and set the tone for Sunderland by using his vibrancy to drag them out of a cumbersome start. Clarke had the advantage of playing in his position. Gray had the disadvantage of playing out of his, with the added handicap of visible yard of pace less than the man he was tasked with pinning down. One quick burst from Clarke drew Gray into a lunge and an early booking. When they went one-on-one soon after, Gray did well to get out of that web without letting Clarke go or incurring a second yellow. But by then, Sunderland had found their stroke and Gray was reduced to playing in a conservative mode. Playing within themselves would be the story of Leeds’ midweek trip to Wearside. please log in to view this image A certain group in Daniel Farke’s dressing room have amassed a lot of minutes under him and Gray, in his first season, more than all but three outfielders. Across the pitch, Leeds were leggy in body and mind, starved of individual spark or collective authority. There were scrambles and chances but Sunderland had the better of them and by sticking at it, the hosts pinched a winner 12 minutes from the end. Clarke’s sprint into the box forcing Gray to go with him and play Jobe Bellingham onside as Alex Pritchard guided the ball towards the former Birmingham youngster. Bellingham then cushioned in an apologetic header from a few yards out, too close to miss. Leeds have been pleasingly durable to this point, unyielding more often than not but Gray was pushed further by Clarke than he had been before, no-one around him looked like themselves either and the fixtures United are wading through are not designed to forgive anyone. For the line-up which has been establishing itself under Farke, last night felt like one start too many.
Thought young Huggins had a good game too at LB and caused us some damage especially when he and Clarke were rampaging down our fight flank at Archie
