Exclusive: Sky Sports pundit backs Jack Clarke to stay at Ipswich Town amid PSV transfer claim | OneFootball

Don Goodman spoke exclusively to Football League World about Jack Clarke's future at Ipswich Town

Ipswich Town are poised to return to the Championship alongside Southampton and Leicester City in the coming weeks, with all three having gained promotion just last season.

The Tractor Boys have, it must be said, made a largely-blunt stab at retaining their top-flight status for a second season after gaining successive promotions from League One to the Premier League under Kieran McKenna.

Ipswich are currently 18th in the league table with just seven matches to spare, though a 12-point gap between themselves and 17th-placed Wolves was extended with a crushing 2-1 home defeat to the Old Gold last weekend and renders Town's survival hopes as all-but-over.

Ipswich, however, conducted much of last summer's transfer business in the Championship by signing the likes of Jack Clarke, Dara O'Shea, Sammie Szmodics, Arijanet Muric, Conor Townsend among others, before bringing in Alex Palmer and ex-Cardiff and Hull City star Jaden Philogene in January, and will already have one eye on the second-tier next term.

Many of Ipswich's summer signings have struggled to adapt to the Premier League, with Clarke being very much one of those. The winger was acquired from Sunderland last summer in a deal worth up to £20 million after scoring 15 Championship goals in the 2023/24 season, but has found regular opportunities hard to come by at Portman Road.

Clarke has failed to score from 25 Premier League appearances, though just four of those have been starts, with the winger delivering a more-respectable return of four assists in only 878 top-flight minutes.

But the 24-year-old could yet be on the move once again this summer, with a recent report by Football Insider revealing interest from Eredivisie outfit PSV Eindhoven.

It's said that Ipswich intend on recouping the fee they shelled out for Clarke, whose own stance on a switch to The Netherlands currently remains unclear.

Don Goodman delivers Ipswich Town, Jack Clarke transfer verdict amid PSV Eindhoven claim

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman believes there is a decision to be made for Clarke, claiming that the winger will be disappointed with how the season has gone but that he could redeem himself in the Championship next season once Ipswich's relegation is confirmed.

Goodman is unsure if Clarke will follow suit with Liam Delap, who he has tipped to depart amid a £30 million relegation release clause in the striker's contract, which has alerted interest from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and others.

"I think Liam Delap is obviously going to depart because of the very attractive level of the buy-out clause in his contract, I'm not so sure the same applies to Jack Clarke," Goodman explained when speaking exclusively to Football League World.

"Therefore, I'm not so sure what PSV would have to pay for him.

"All I am sure about is that Clarke will be a little bit disappointed with how the season has gone. Just eight starts, four assists and no goals, he's had a couple of chances to score but hasn't taken them.

"If Ipswich are going to end up playing Championship football again, I think it's a level he's excelled at and a level he will get an opportunity to play week-in, week-out at if he stays at Ipswich.

"Either way, if there is a bid that comes in that's acceptable to Ipswich, that's a decision for Clarke to make.

"It's about the club doing what's right for them and Clarke doing what's right for him."

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Many would have expected a stronger debut campaign from Clarke, who joined the Tractor Boys with his stock at an all-time high following two dazzling seasons on Wearside, but his previous exploits in the Championship will give Ipswich all the encouragement that he can become a hit and make good on the club's significant investment.

With speed to burn, tricky dribbling and swagger and a keen eye for goal, Clarke was quite simply unstoppable in the Championship and still delivered even when Sunderland were struggling, with the ex-Tottenham Hotspur prospect returning 15 goals in a season that saw the Black Cats finish all the way down in 16th.

There is an argument to suggest popular head coach Kieran McKenna has to take some responsibility for Clarke's struggles this season by not offering him more opportunities and a consistent run of games to show his worth, but Goodman is right to suggest that situation will be different in the second-tier.

Nonetheless, Clarke's performances for Sunderland and his standing as a first-rate Championship attacker means Ipswich should be careful about entertaining any potential bids.