Sunderland should look to replace Jack Clarke with one of the best wingers in the Championship.
The spirits in Sunderland have risen slightly in recent weeks, with the team picking up five clean sheets in their last six games.
Albeit the one missing was a 5-1 hammering by Blackburn Rovers on home soil, but overall we have looked much improved from our dreadful run of consecutive defeats earlier this year.
Some of our key players have returned from injury, and supporters are now appreciating our final games with Jack Clarke in the line-up.
The winger has attracted plenty of interest from the Premier League since the summer, and our failure to reach the play-offs means he is extremely likely to make the jump up on his own.
While completely heartbreaking, the Black Cats certainly can’t hold Clarke back, as he is just too good for the Championship.
The 23-year-old will enjoy great success in the top flight, while we will earn a hefty £20m plus fee for his exit.
Hypothetically, it should be a good return, but that doesn’t make replacing him simple.
Sunderland will really struggle to find an attacker of Clarke’s quality that will be willing to join us, but we can’t risk going for another youngster that could end up being far from what we need right now.
Rather than looking to the Abdoullah Bas and the Jewison Bennettes of football, Kristjaan Speakman should take the plunge and attempt an ambitious move for someone already proven in the Championship – someone who is actually one of the best players in the second tier already.
Morgan Whittaker is the solution to Jack Clarke’s exit
That ‘someone’ is Morgan Whittaker, whose place in the Championship Team of the Season confirms he is simply too good for Plymouth Argyle.
The winger joined the Pilgrims in 2022 and has since scored 29 goals and provided 16 assists in 78 games.
Despite Plymouth battling relegation this season, Whittaker is on track to finish with over 20 league goals and has already racked up 28 goal contributions.
While Plymouth look likely to avoid the drop, it would be incredibly surprising if they managed to keep hold of Whittaker this summer.
Lazio alreadymade an attempt to sign the 23-year-old in January and failed, while there is likely to be more interest at the end of the season.
While certainly ambitious, there should be nothing stopping Sunderland from joining the race for Whittaker.
But can Sunderland win the race for the 19-goal gem?
There is no denying that a move to Wearside would be a step up, and while the Black Cats have had a poor reason, Whittaker will be well aware of the club’s ability to develop young players into real stars.
The ‘brilliant‘ attacker would be playing week in week out at the Stadium of Light and could have the team built around him, while he will surely know that we have a great chance at winning promotion if we can enjoy a much more successful transfer window this time round.
It is unclear how much Whittaker would cost, but Sunderland should be able to compete financially if they can earn a hefty fee from Clarke’s departure.
The Plymouth star could instead be offered the chance to move straight to the Premier League, but there is definitely no harm in trying to lure him up north with the promise of a key position at the club and the chance to drive us back to the top flight himself.