Leeds sold Jack Clarke because he ………………….

Before they could reach their full potential at Elland Road, players like Lewis Cook, Ronaldo Vieira, and, going even further back, Fabian Delph had to be moved. Leeds has occasionally had to live with the regret of such decisions.

Jack Clarke, one of Leeds’ most promising academy prospects in recent years, left the Whites after just one season of playing in the starting lineup.

Phil Hay has been talking about Clarke’s exit from Leeds on The Square Ball Podcast. He believes the team was more than willing to trade the winger when Spurs stepped in, saying they were satisfied with the amount since they weren’t convinced he was going to kick on.

“What’s strange about Jack Clarke, though, is that Leeds was happy to receive the fee when he was sold. It’s not that they didn’t think he was good enough, but they weren’t sure he would train and didn’t think he was worth that at that point. If you sold him now, you could easily turn a profit on that £9.4 million,” Hay explained.

Naturally, the Whites appeared to have won when Clarke struggled at Tottenham. However, he is currently perhaps Sunderland’s finest winger in the Championship, thus it seems certain that he will play in the Premier League the following season.

Over the course of the last two years, Clarke has really progressed, and it’s safe to conclude that Leeds made a mistake in assessing this young man’s potential and future worth.