da betcris： Noel Whelan believes Jack Clarke won’t stay at Leeds beyond January but is confident that he won’t be missed too much, as there are a number of quality wingers at the club.
What did he say?
da pinup bet： Leeds took Clarke on loan from Tottenham after the club signed him over the summer, but he has made just three appearances this term and clearly isn’t a central part of Marcelo Bielsa’s plans.
With a lack of game time possibly harming his development Whelan is correct to suggest Spurs may look at a recall, and though he possesses pace and a direct style, Clarke leaving shouldn’t have too much of an impact, according to the pundit.
Whelan is confident in his assertion of what will happen and how such a development affects the club, but he is confident in the squad at Elland Road.
Speaking to Football Insider, he said:
“There’s no doubt Jack Clarke will leave as Tottenham won’t allow him to stay on the bench all season.
“Leeds have plenty of wide men in the squad so I don’t expect they will sign someone to replace him.
“I can see him [Alioski] filling in as a winger, and replacing Clarke, if the first choices like Harrison and Costa are out, or come off. He’s played there most of his career, can create and score goals and is one of the best finishers in the squad.”
Ready to step up
Bielsa is blessed with a number of options in his current set-up and so far he has used a number of players in different roles to his advantage.
Most notably, the deployment of both Stuart Dallas and Ezgjan Alioski at full-back, which isn’t their natural position, has led to notable success and even displaced Barry Douglas in the starting line-up.
That is some feat given the Scot played left-back regularly for Wolves when they won the Championship in 2017. It just goes to show the positive effect both players have on the team.
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Alioski, in particular, has provided a threat going forward. His four goals and one assist indicate the danger he poses in the opposition’s final third and playing him on the wing would allow him to take up threatening positions more often.
If Clarke does indeed leave then Bielsa may opt to push Alioski further forward, and given the form he has shown this campaign that could be a switch which really pays off, as the Macedonian has years of experience playing there – just as Whelan suggests.
Clarke may possess energy and a different skillset to others in the squad but his absence shouldn’t be felt too hard, and if it allows Alioski to show his true potential then the team will benefit significantly from the development.
In other Leeds news, one of Europe’s most in-form strikers has been captured signing a Leeds shirt…