The Black Cats have finally taken a drastic decision about Jack Clarke as they’ve found this solid replacement for him…
After advancing through Leeds United’s development academy and making 25 appearances for the Whites, the 23-year-old gained notoriety. In July 2019, he signed a lucrative contract to join Premier League champion Tottenham Hotspur.
But Clarke traveled back into the EFL Championship with loan stints at Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City, and finally Sunderland after failing to make a single league appearance in North London. In July 2022, he made a permanent move to the Stadium of Light.
Since then, Clarke has performed admirably in a red and white shirt, continuing to be a consistent creative force in the starting lineup, which has greatly aided Sunderland’s efforts to contend for relegation from the Premier League.
This season, a number of elite teams have reportedly been considering moves for Clarke. Football League World finds the ideal successor in the event that Clarke leaves.
Jack Clarke’s ideal successor
Jack Clarke Sunderland
Brazilian winger Everton Soares, who plays for Flamengo in his home country of Brazil in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A league, is FBRef’s ideal substitute for Clarke.
Everton joined Gremio’s young team in 2012 after being loaned there by Fortaleza. A year later, they signed a permanent contract, and they were being linked to a possible transfer to Premier League powerhouse Manchester City.
The 27-year-old would remain with Gremio for six years, making 242 games and contributing 23 assists and 63 goals.
The wide player would eventually transfer to Portuguese powerhouse Benfica, where he would be able to show off his skills in the Champions League and Europa League.
Throughout his tenure in Liga Portugal, Everton helped propel Benfica to the top of the standings, helping the team to two third-place finishes. In 94 games, he recorded 15 goals and 18 assists.
The Maracanaú native has been a stalwart of Flamengo’s first team since 2022. He has played in over a century of games for the team across all competitions.
The numbers of Everton Soares in comparison to Jack Clarke’s Everton soared
When looking at data this season, both players have participated in the same amount of games, but Clarke has accrued a lot more playing time.
Despite not starting every game like Clarke does, Everton has contributed nearly ten goals to goalscoring totals in an outstanding campaign.
FBRef’s season statistics for Jack Clarke and Everton Soares
In addition to having a greater shoot on target percentage than Clarke, Everton also completes passes more often while receiving the ball.
Everton has only six less goal-creating actions than Clarke despite having less starts, and if he were to receive comparable playing time, you would expect the 26-year-old to surpass Clarke’s total.
In addition, both players play a significant role in set pieces, especially from corners and free kicks, thus Everton may step in for Clarke should he leave Sunderland.
Is Everton Soares a prospective trade partner for Sunderland?
Everton soars 2
The summer transfer window generated a lot of rumors about Clarke returning to the top division as he continued to dominate in the second division at the Stadium of Light.
At the time, four Premier League clubs had expressed interest in the 23-year-old, according to Mark Douglas of iNews.
Jack Clarke Sunderland
LINKED
As West Ham considers a summer transfer for a Sunderland player, more information becomes available.
Jack Clarke of Sunderland is still being watched by West Ham ahead of the summer transfer window, but it might cost £20 million to get him out of town.
Everton, Crystal Palace, Brentford, and Burnley were all rumored to be interested in the winger. TEAMTalk reports that the Clarets had four bids turned down, with their last offer being more than £10 million less than the Black Cats’ asking price.
This would still allow Sunderland to collect a very good price for a player who deserves another shot at winning the Premier League, and it would make a number of winger targets available.
Everton might be the playmaker that propels Sunderland back among England’s top teams because of his extensive experience playing at the highest levels of the game.
To reach his maximum potential, the South American just needs a steady amount of starts. Should he go to the North East, the Championship may be in for another extraordinary player.
