Former manager Tony Pulis has questioned whether Sunderland can be successful if they sell one ‘exciting’ player this summer.
Sunderland face a tough transfer window after an even tougher season, with many of thier star players likely to attract interest.
The Black Cats have welcomed some excellent players to their ranks since winning promotion to the Championship in 2022, and their impressive first campaign that saw them reach the play-offs caught the eye of many teams.
The likes of Jack Clarke, Dan Neil and Trai Hume played a key role in their success and have since become targets for a number of Premier League clubs.
Sunderland failed to replicate their first season back in the second tier this time round, and as a a result could now face losing some of their prized assets to the top flight.
The Wearside outfit will be eager to keep most of their first-team players, with the club holding an advantage in their pursuit to keep Dan Neil and Anthony Patterson due to being their boyhood club.
However, fans have already become resigned to selling their Player of the Season, Jack Clarke.
The winger, who has netted 15 goals this season, has already been heavily linked with the likes of Lazio, West Ham and Burnley.
Sunderland will likely demand over £20 million for his signature, while he does seem the most likely to leave this summer.
Tony Pulis unsure if Sunderland ‘will want to sell’ star man
The Black Cats will be fully aware of how difficult it will be to replace Clarke, while Tony Pulis has admitted that a player like him is exactly what they needed ‘in order to be successful’.
Speaking to Football League World, Pulis said: “In a football team, there are certain things that you need to have in order to be successful.
“One of those things is a player that will take defenders on because defences are so well organised, so you need someone to create space and open doors. Jack Clarke is one of those players.
“I watched him at Leeds United and I think he’s now more mature and is a lot stronger. He’ll have a very good future but I don’t know if Sunderland will want to sell him to a Premier League team this summer.
“I don’t see why he can’t play in the Premier League as he’s a promising and exciting player.”
Jack Clarke’s obsession with cutting inside and shooting can get frustrating, but it also works very well at times.
However, he is still probably the only Sunderland player that will also take defenders on and run past two or three of them at a time.
Can Sunderland replace Jack Clarke’s creativity?
His success in front of goal over the past couple of seasons have proven how effective it can be, while we have struggled to create chances without his ability to do so – at least this season anyway.
Running past defender does seem to be the only way we manage to create chances and get shots off at the minute, so without that it could be a real problem.
There seems to be a shortage of these type of players though, and even Clarke has begun to cut inside more and more. Even the biggest stars in the Premier League will often do this, and it will pay off for them.
Finding a player like Clarke will be incredibly difficult, but hopefully if we can bring in some additions elsewhere and buy a proven goalscorer, then there will be less pressure on his replacement.
