Tottenham are poised to make their first senior signing in more a year after agreeing to buy the teenage winger Jack Clarke from Leeds. The clubs are putting the finishing touches to a transfer for which Spurs will pay an initial fee of £10m, rising to £11.5m depending on achievements.
As they completed the construction of their new stadium Spurs let the last two transfer windows pass without making any major recruitment so the purchase of Clarke is evidence of loosening purse strings at White Hart Lane. However, Clarke will not strengthen Mauricio Pochettino’s squad immediately, as he will be loaned straight back to Leeds to continue his development there next season.
The player enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with Marcelo Bielsa’s side last term, showing himself to be a bold and skilful dribbler with useful end-product.
Most of his contributions came off the bench, as he only made four starts all season. His progress was inhibited partly by illness, as he was out of first-team action for a month after collapsing on the pitch during the 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough in February.
Leeds expect him to play a bigger role next season and help the club to reach the Premier League automatically after they lost to Derby in the play-off semi-finals in May. Spurs trust the player will gain from another campaign in the Championship under the guidance of Pochettino’s former mentor, Bielsa.
Spurs are still pursuing players whom they expect to make a more instant impact as Pochettino aims to bolster a squad that reached last season’s Champions League final. Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon is a target and talks continue with Lyon for the midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, with Spurs confident despite reports of Juventus trying to muscle in on a deal. Ndombele is understood to have indicated that Spurs are his preferred choice.
