Jack Clarke explains why staying at Leeds for another year was so key

Jack Clarke insists the importance of Marcelo Bielsa on his fledgling career was always in his thinking after the teenage winger sealed a move to Tottenham but was loaned back to Leeds.

The 18-year-old has agreed a contract with Spurs until 2023 and has become the club’s first signing in 517 days, arriving for an initial £9m fee.

Born in York, the winger came through the ranks at Leeds and made his breakthrough last season under Bielsa, playing 25 times and scoring two goals as the Whites lost out in the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs.

And Clarke insists that while he can’t wait to get started at Tottenham, he felt that another year under Bielsa’s guidance would be most beneficial for his game.

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“It was a bit of a no-brainer really,” Clarke told LUTV. “The option was always there, I just thought it would be definitely better for my progression to spend another year here and I didn’t feel right leaving, finishing how we left last season.”

On Bielsa he added: “I think he brought me on a lot as a player and I think this season I’ll be even better getting another full season under him.

“Physically I developed a lot playing senior professional football and with movement and other things he brought me on massively.

“I want to get a run of games starting under my belt and see where we go from there.”

On joining Spurs, Clarke told the Premier League club’s website that he is excited about working under Mauricio Pochettino in the future.

“He’s one of the best managers in the world, a top, top manager and hopefully he can help me push on and progress myself and I feel like this club could really help me push on as a player and I don’t think I could be in a better environment,” he said.

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