Jack Clarke’s message after Sunderland’s solid start - amid transfer interest in ex-Tottenham and Leeds man

Jack Clarke has praised and thanked his Sunderland teammates after winning the Championship’s Player of the Month award for September.

The 22-year-old scored six goals in five league appearances last month, including braces in wins over Blackburn and Sheffield Wednesday away from home.

Clarke is also the Championship’s joint top scorer with seven this campaign, along with Blackburn’s Sammie Szmodics and Southampton’s Adam Armstrong, following transfer interest from Premier League club Burnley over the summer.

“I’m delighted to receive this award, but for me it’s a reflection on how well the team did in September,” said Clarke. “I was fortunate enough to be on the end of some great moves. We have a good understanding as a group and the head coach gives me the freedom to express myself – we’ll try to build on a solid start.”

Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray added: “Jack is an outstanding footballer who had a great month in September. He’s full of confidence at the moment and I’m delighted for him. His career is on the up and his challenge now is to keep it going.”

More Premier League clubs have been credited with interest in Clarke over recent weeks, yet Mowbray has said the winger has never pushed for a move away from Wearside. The 22-year-old is under contract at Sunderland until the summer of 2026 after joining the club on a permanent deal from Tottenham last summer.

Clarke has also expressed how thankful he is for Sunderland helping get his career back on track, after his transfer from Leeds to Tottenham resulted in limited first-team opportunities.