What Jack Clarke said when he first joined Sunderland AFC - he may be missing the Black Cats | OneFootball

A look back at former Sunderland AFC player Jack Clarke's first words for the club in 2022

Former Sunderland AFC winger Jack Clarke has recently been relegated from the Premier League with new club Ipswich Town, while the Black Cats are in the play-offs with a real chance of going up to the top division.

Since swapping the North East for East Anglia in the summer of 2024, Clarke has been a decent player, but hasn't quite reached the heights that he did in his years at the Stadium of Light.

The move to Sunderland really kick-started his career, as, before the initial loan, he had not really had a consistent run of first-team games in the EFL beyond his breakthrough at Leeds United. He joined Tottenham in a £10m deal, but loans back at Leeds, with QPR and Stoke City, never got off the ground.

Clarke's career could potentially need a restart again in the Championship with Ipswich, having not been at his best this season in the Premier League, and he may even be missing Sunderland.

Here is a look back at his first interview with the club when he joined in 2022.

Jack Clarke knew what it meant to play for Sunderland

Clarke was born in York, only around 70 miles away from Sunderland, so was well aware of how much the club meant to the fans and the area. Perhaps this was why he was so prolific in red and white and played every game with a level of energy that we haven't truly seen since.

His initial loan was also during one of the lowest points in the Black Cats' history, as they found themselves in League One for the fourth season in a row, so possibly his desire to get the club back up through the leagues was a big motivation too.

In his first interview after joining on loan, he said to the Northern Echo: "I can't wait to get started. I'm from this part of the world, so I know this is a massive club and what it means to the fans. I'm looking forward to playing at the Stadium of Light and the prospect of being part of the team that takes the club back to the Championship.

"I want to help the team as much as possible, whether that's goals or assists, and ensure we reach that end goal."

Clarke helped Sunderland reach the Championship, having won the League One play-off final in 2022 versus Wycombe Wanderers. His performances kicked on a level back in the second-tier, too, with Clarke firing Sunderland into the play-offs in 2023 and then into mid-table the following campaign.

Life after Sunderland for Jack Clarke

Clarke Ipswich Town in the summer of 2024 for a reported £15 million plus £5 million add-ons (BBC). It has been a mixed season for the 24-year-old.

Whilst it hasn't been a bad haul for the winger in terms of his goal contributions, his goal haul is underwhelming.

He scored 15 goals in 40 games the Championship last season for Sunderland, and his goalscoring ability does seem to have regressed as he's stepped up a level.

There is even the potential that Ipswich are a league below Sunderland next season, should the Black Cats go up. For Clarke, that would be a kick in the teeth given how settled and in-form he had been at the Stadium of Light.

Who knows, it may even add some regret that he chose to make the move last summer away from a club that had helped him to the best form of his young career.