Sunderland’s promotion prospects fall at the feet of one man – Jack Clarke.
The fleet-footed winger has been absolutely destroying the Championship term with a whopping nine goals in his first 16 appearances. Those returns have undoubtedly seen him become one of the league’s most sought-after players.
Whilst winning September’s Player of the Month confirmed this, the fact he’s averaged the third-highest average match rating in the entire division (7.78) and completed the most successful dribbles per match (3.4), as per Sofascore, are two further reasons why the Premier League big boys are drawn towards his signature.
Burnley are believed to have bid several times for Clarke last summer but saw their offers rejected by Sunderland, while Brentford have also shown their interest in the 22-year-old, who the Black Cats are desperate to tie down to an improved deal.
With Clarke potentially in line to depart the club in January, amid that top-flight interest, here are three replacements that Tony Mowbray should consider pursuing.
1
Morgan Whittaker
If Clarke does depart the Stadium of Light, Mowbray could look to bring high-flying Plymouth Argyle forward Morgan Whittaker to the club, having been interested in the player prior to his departure from Swansea City over the summer.
Since arriving from Swansea for around £1m back in July, the Englishman has hit the ground running with seven goals and three assists in his first 16 appearances.
A pacey and direct forward player, who can play on either wing or as a number ten, Whittaker would offer the Black Cats incredible versatility as well as a monstrous ability to carry the ball and wreak havoc in the final third.
According to FBref, he ranks in the top 15% against his positional peers in the Championship for non-penalty goals, top 16% for successful take-ons and top 7% for total shots.
At the age of 22, he also has scope to improve further, aligning perfectly with their recruitment strategy.
2
Amad Diallo
Following his sensational loan spell in the North East last term, plundering 13 goals and supplying three assists, a deal to bring Amad Diallo back to the club is arguably the most popular option among Black Cats supporters – and has been mooted of late, as per TEAMtalk.
Much like Clarke, Diallo thrills the masses with his low centre of gravity, terrorising the opposition with his searing pace and fleet-footed dribbling.
If Sunderland were to successfully strike a deal for the Manchester United attacker, who originally cost them £37m from Atalanta in January 2021, it would only soften the blow of losing Clarke in the short-term, however, he does have the potential to exceed the Englishman’s current purple patch in form, as seen last term.
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Jack Clarke vs Amad Diallo – Championship 22/23 per 90 statistics |
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|---|---|---|
|
Statistic |
Jack Clarke |
Amad Diallo |
|
Non-penalty goals |
0.21 |
0.35 |
|
Shot creating actions |
3.49 |
4.14 |
|
Pass completion |
71.8% |
84.7% |
|
Progressive passes |
2.33 |
5.12 |
|
Progressive carries |
4.35 |
3.72 |
|
Passes into the final third |
1.14 |
3.90 |
|
Touches (Att pen.) |
4.37 |
4.45 |
|
All stats via FBref |
||
As the table above delineates, Diallo exceeds Clarke in every attacking metric aside from progressive carries, although he still placed in the top 15% in the Championship for that statistic, so he would be a viable replacement on loan.
3
Shola Shoretire
Shola Shoretire is another Man United youngster whose development is stagnating at Old Trafford.
With too many top players ahead of him, the one-time Newcastle United academy asset’s best chance of playing regular senior football is by departing the club.
The talented teenager, who was described as a “diamond” by journalist Antonio Mango, has scored four goals and supplied three assists in seven Premier League 2 matches this term, yet has made just five senior appearances for his current side to date – all of which came prior to last season.
Whilst this form suggests he’s ready to make that leap to senior football, United have a big decision to make on the youngster given his contract expires in June 2024, and that could see the Black Cats pounce at the opportunity to capture such an impressive prospect.
