Official: Jack Clarke is Tottenham Hotspur’s first signing since January of 2018

The following news may be tough for you to believe, but it’s no lie and it’s no rumor. This is actually happening.

For the first time since Lucas Moura was bought on January 31, 2018, Tottenham Hotspur have officially signed a new player to their senior squad. The club confirmed that English winger Jack Clarke has joined from Leeds United on a four year deal for a fee reported to be around £10 million plus add-ons. The youngster will rejoin Leeds on loan for a year before coming to Spurs after next season.

Clarke is only 18-years-old, but he showed flashes of brilliant potential at times last season in the Championship. He scored two goals in 25 appearances across all competitions, despite not having played for the first team before 2018/19. Before that, he was quite impressive for Leeds’ youth teams, but he’s still quite raw. A loan back to Leeds for a year makes sense.

The York native is a versatile winger who can take up position on either flank. Clarke’s 6-foot-3 size gives him strength and some aerial prowess, but he’s still quick and skillful with the ball at his feet.

Clarke’s debut season dropped off a bit after an incident on February 9th during a game against Middlesbrough. He collapsed during the match and subsequently missed a few weeks due to the illness that caused the problem.

The fee reportedly being paid is really nothing for Spurs, especially considering the context of the rest of the transfer market in England. English talent is tough to come by, so it’s always smart to buy promising players like this before they really turn heads and their transfer value skyrockets.

Back in March, Gary Lineker tapped Clarke as a future star for England. He was given his first-team debut by Marcelo Bielsa, Pochettino’s mentor.

Now all that remains to be seen is how he’ll fare when he does make the big step up to Tottenham Hotspur.