Leeds United could lose Jack Clarke in January as Tottenham Hotspur hold an option to recall the Whites academy product, according to The Athletic.
Clarke joined Spurs in the summer on a permanent deal believed to be worth up to £13million, but Mauricio Pochettino did not consider the teenager as someone who is ready to play a role in the North London side’s efforts to build on last season’s Champions League runners-up finish.
United then struck an agreement with the top-four Premier League side that would see Clarke return to Elland Road for another term, having broken into the senior fold under Marcelo Bielsa and be named as our Young Player of the Year last season.
Tottenham, however, are understood to have clauses inserted in the temporary arrangement that offers Pochettino the chance to call-short his loan spell in West Yorkshire, should the Argentine head coach deem it necessary come the New Year.
Bielsa freezing Clarke out of his plans may heighten the chances of Spurs recalling the young winger, after the boss was forced to omit the York-born talent from the side who beat Wigan Athletic at the weekend.
EFL regulations dictate that any side competing in the divisions they govern can name five loanees in a matchday squad, but we have six in Clarke, Helder Costa, Jack Harrison, Ben White, Illan Meslier and Eddie Nketiah.
But Director of Football Victor Orta’s summer blinder securing Costa’s services on a loan deal, which carries an obligation to pay Wolverhampton Wanderers up to £15million next summer, can ensure Leeds soon forget about the threat of losing Clarke in the winter.
The one-time Portugal international has proven himself as a lethal threat in the Championship, having played a key role in Wolves’ success at clinching the second-tier title in 2017/18 with five goals and six assists – only Barry Douglas and Ivan Cavaleiro created more chances.
Costa is showing signs that he needs time to bed into Bielsa’s system, but between now and the turn of the year are 22 Championship encounters plus cup ties, plenty of fixtures for the 25-year-old to assert his right to a more prominent role.