Joe Gelhardt and his Sunderland teammates were asked to pick the Championship club’s Player of the Season in a video uploaded on Twitter – and the Leeds United striker picked a player the Whites sold in 2019, in Jack Clarke.
Gelhardt, 20, and his Sunderland teammates are fighting hard to remain in the reckoning for the Championship play-offs. Luton and Middlesbrough have secured third and fourth – but the remaining two places are between eight.
Sunderland currently sit in one of those two places with two league games to go. They face Watford at home on the weekend, before a trip to Preston – who are one of those eight teams. West Brom face Sheffield United tonight.
But, with two games to go – and potentially five if Sunderland do get into the play-offs – the squad was asked to pick the POTS. Gelhardt responds by picking Clarke, a player Leeds sold to Tottenham for £10m four years ago.
Leeds striker Gelhardt picks Clarke as Sunderland Player of the Season
Little surprise. Clarke is finally turning the potential he showed in Marcelo Bielsa’s first season in charge into proven quality, after failing to get going at Spurs. Joining them on loan in Jan 2022, he moved permanently last summer.
It came after a goal and four assists in 20 games during that loan. But this season, his form has gone up a couple of gears. Promotion to the Championship has not fazed him, scoring 10 and creating 10 in his 46 Sunderland outings.
It is great to see that Clarke is shining on the Championship stage and who knows, he could be doing it in the top tier come the start of next season – if Clarke and Gelhardt can help the Black Cats prove successful in the play-offs.
