Sunderland AFC: Jack Clarke regret verdict issued over Ipswich Town move - the Championship is "his level" | OneFootball

FLW's Sunderland fan pundit discussed Jack Clarke's move to Ipswich Town

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

It would be fair to say that Jack Clarke's big-money move from Sunderland to Premier League outfit Ipswich Town last summer has not gone according to plan quite just yet.

The winger had been the subject of intense transfer speculation for the previous twelve months after enjoying two outstanding campaigns with Sunderland at Championship level, both of which returned double digits for goals across all competitions.

Clarke, who had firmly established himself among the very finest attackers in the second-tier, was always poised to depart the Stadium of Light after Sunderland fell to a disappointing 16th-placed finish in the 2023/24 season, and Ipswich ultimately won the race for his much-coveted deal worth up to £20 million, according to reports.

But the former Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur prospect has struggled to find his feet under Kieran McKenna this term. Clarke has made 28 Premier League appearances for the Tractor Boys, although just 11 of those have been starts across a meagre 1,024 minutes and he has only completed the full 90 minutes on one occasion in the top-flight, which came in Ipswich's valiant 3-2 defeat at Manchester United back in February.

Clarke excelled in Ipswich's FA Cup campaign, though he has fallen short of reaching similar heights in the Premier League, where he has contributed four assists but is still awaiting his first goal with only four games now to spare.

Town saw their long-impending relegation back to the Championship officially confirmed by falling to a 3-0 defeat at Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon and, with Sunderland now eyeing a top-flight return with a fourth-placed finish, which has been nailed-on for quite some time, there is a school of thought that the 24-year-old may well, in hindsight, regret making the move given that both sides could well be swapping divisions ahead of the 2025/26 term.

Sunderland AFC verdict issued on Jack Clarke's 2024/25 season with Ipswich Town

FLW asked our Black Cats fan pundit, Jordan Newcombe, whether he believes Clarke could indeed potentially be regretting his decision to trade Wearside for a shot at the Premier League with Ipswich.

In Jordan's view, Clarke will probably be regretting the move and the way in which it has played out to date could be a damning indictment of the pacey winger's ceiling.

Despite just how well Clarke has previously performed in the Championship, Jordan has argued the second-tier might be his level.

"I think he probably will [regret leaving Sunderland for Ipswich]," Jordan told FLW.

"But surely from an outside perspective, you'd see what you're getting yourself into. He'll have got Premier League wages but across a full season, barring the four games left, he hasn't scored a Premier League goal and it hasn't clicked for him, he hasn't stood out.

"He's had the odd good performance here and there but has generally been quite average. Obviously Sunderland have flourished this year for the most part, not towards the end of the season.

"But yeah he might regret it, especially if we swap leagues next year, because he went there for a Premier League career and they were only there for one year.

"Maybe it just wasn't the right club for him to move to, but I suppose it could be a telling sign that that was his level. The gap between the Premier League and the Championship is so much now that you can't just have a good player in the Championship automatically be good in the Premier League."

Ipswich Town's Jack Clarke has time on his side amid Sunderland AFC claim

It's easy to see why there is an argument that Clarke may not be cut out for the Premier League, but it would be amiss to completely write off the winger just yet.

Still aged just 24, Clarke has built up an outstanding body of work in the Championship and will be a huge asset for Town next season on the condition that he stays put.

Clarke's ability to go past his man and carve out opportunities at will is arguably top-flight standard, but his goal threat at Championship level has not lent itself to the step-up, he has received limited opportunities to showcase what he is all about and has been playing in a struggling side long destined for a swift return to the second-tier, too.

Whether that is really a conducive environment to get the best out of a player like Clarke is very much up for debate.