"Pathetic" - William Storey takes aim at Sunderland board over Jack Clarke, Ipswich Town news | OneFootball

The Black Cats' star winger is set to leave the club for an opportunity to play in the Premier League.

Key Takeaways

William Storey, who previously tried to buy Sunderland AFC, has criticised the club for their decision to sell star winger Jack Clarke to Ipswich Town.

The 23-year-old is set to leave the Stadium of Light after two-and-a-bit seasons with Wearsiders. Ipswich have agreed a total £20 million package for him, with £15 million to be paid initially and then £5 million in add-ons, as per Sky Sports. The bonuses, in this case, are practically guaranteed to be paid, according to Michael Graham.

This same offer was said to be below Sunderland's valuation of the player on Thursday afternoon, and yet later that evening it emerged that these terms were okay with the Black Cats.

It'll be a big blow for Regis Le Bris. Off the back of a performance against Sheffield Wednesday, and the one in their season opener versus Cardiff City, he looked back to his form from early last season.

Luckily for the head coach, wingers and creative midfielders is something that the club certainly aren't short of. Fellow former Tottenham Hotspur youngster Romain Mundle is likely to step into the now vacant spot in the first team that has been left by Clarke.

Considering his quality, some supporters aren't happy with the money that Sunderland got, especially since Tottenham are supposedly set to receive 25% of the riches. Those feelings have been echoed by Storey.

William Storey bashes Sunderland board over Jack Clarke deal

The Rich Energy CEO has lambasted those at the top of the club for letting Clarke go. "Absolutely pathetic from the board," said Storey on X.

"Definitive evidence of their lack of ambition and negligible financial commitment. Selling your best players is self-sabotage & an admission of defeat. Unfit to be custodians of one of the biggest clubs in Britain."

The businessman tried to buy the club in 2020, and, even after current chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus secured his stake in the club in 2021, he still seemingly persisted with the idea of taking over the Black Cats. But, much like his attempts to do the same to Coventry City and Reading, nothing materialised.

Earlier in the week, when Ipswich's interest in Clarke first came to light, he took to social media to air his thoughts on the topic.

He said, when he heard of the initial offering by the Tractor Boys: "Which should be emphatically rejected by any board with an ounce of ambition. Sunderland are a vastly bigger club than Ipswich and I hope the owners act like it. Clarke is a talent who can help the push for promotion."

Sunderland should have held out for more for Jack Clarke, if they could have

The big issue with this deal is over the price tag. But, considering a player like Crysencio Summerville went from Clarke's old club Leeds United to West Ham United for £25 million, plus add-ons, there is logic to suggest that a total £20 million package for the 23-year-old is fair, if the add-ons are as nailed on to be paid as they seem.

But, given Sunderland weren't in a position where they had to sell, or they would otherwise risk breaking financial rules, it feels like they could have pushed a harder bargain than they did.

With the way that the club is run, in a self-sufficient way, sales of players are needed to fund their own transfer activity. It may have been a case of either keeping Clarke and not adding any more key pieces to this team, or letting him move on and then be able to bolster the rest of the squad.

The latter is something that has worked for teams like Coventry in recent years. That said, though, it still feels a little bit cheap for a player of his ability.