Nobody assisted more goals in the Championship last season than Sunderland’s Jack Clarke, who could be on his way to the
Premier League with Burnley.
Burnley announced their ninth signing of the summer on Thursday with the addition of Jacob Bruun Larsen, but Vincent
Kompany still has time to make it double figures in terms of arrivals in time for the start of the Premier League season.
Who have Burnley signed?
Danish winger Larsen joined from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim on a season-long loan, meaning a reunion with Kompany
after spending time together at Anderlecht in 2020-21
Larsen follows in the steps of Zeki Amdouni, James Trafford, Dara O’Shea, Luca Koleosho, Nathan Redmond and young
goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux in joining Burnley this summer, while Jordan Beyer and Michael Obafemi have been signed
on permanent deals after starring on loan last season.
The Clarets’ move for Larsen comes amid ongoing speculation that they are looking to sign fellow attacking midfielder Jack
Clarke from Championship side Sunderland.
According to The Northern Echo, Burnley’s latest bid of £10m plus various add-ons has been rejected by Sunderland, but the
Black Cats would be willing to sell if offered £15m.
What position does Jack Clarke play?
Sunderland snapped up Clarke from Tottenham Hotspur on a permanent deal 12 months ago after he impressed during a
spell on loan in League One.
The 22-year-old was one of the best players in the Championship last season, as he scored nine goals and set up a further 12
goals in 47 appearances for the Black Cats.
Those 12 assists were a joint-high among players in the Championship, level with former Coventry City star Viktor Gyokeres,
who has earned a big move away this summer to Sporting CP.
Clarke’s 0.48 goals or assists per 90 minutes in the regular season, as per FBref, was better than that of Burnley regulars
Johann Berg Gudmundsson (0.46) and Josh Brownhill (0.38) last season, while Anass Zaroury (0.50) only fared marginally
better.
That goes some way to showing that Clarke has the quality to be part of Burnley’s squad, and his arrival could be particularly
good news for Burnley’s centre-forwards.
The former England U20 international played mainly on the left-hand side last season, which is likely where he would fit in
at Burnley should he indeed sign, on the opposite flank to Manuel Benson.
Benson scored and assisted a combined 14 goals last season – only Brownhill (15) could better than among Clarets players
still at the club – as he played an integral part in the Lancashire side’s dominant title win.
Having Benson on one flank and Clarke on the other would give many Premier League defenders a torrid time next season,
especially when you factor in that the Sunderland ace was level with creative force Brownhill last season for shot-creating
actions (147).
That metric takes factors such as passes and take-ons directly leading to a shot into account and gives a strong indication of
the danger Clarke can cause in the final third.
Labelled an “unreal” player by football reporter Josh Bunting, Clarke – as is the case with many Burnley players – showed last
season that he is ready to make the leap from the Championship to the Premier League.
If that is not with Kompany’s Burnley, then it is surely just a matter of time before another club pounces.
Newcastle: Magpies keen on Nicolo Zaniolo
The Italy international only made the move to Galatasaray in February.
Newcastle United have reportedly set their sights on signing Galatasaray attacker Nicolo Zaniolo this summer.
What’s the latest Newcastle transfer news?
The Magpies, and by extension owners PIF, have already splashed the cash on two marquee signings to bolster Eddie Howe’s
squad ahead of the 2023/24 season.
Sandro Tonali was the first big-name player through the door, joining from AC Milan in a deal worth £55m, and it was
recently confirmed that Harvey Barnes has signed from Leicester City at a cost of around £38m.
However, it doesn’t look as if those at St James’ Park plan on stopping there, with Champions League football on offer for
the upcoming season. It appears as if Howe and Newcastle want to bring in a new full-back as they have had a £30m
approach turned down by Southampton for Tino Livramento.
Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney is another who has been linked with a move north, whereas Bayern Munich midfielder
Ryan Gravenberch is another player of interest.
Further additions at the back and in midfielder could be on the cards, and by the looks of things, another signing in the final
third may also be on the agenda, with speculation emerging over Zaniolo.
According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, Newcastle have set their sights on a move for Zaniolo. They claimed that polls
and information have been gathering when it comes to the Galatasaray attacker, however, the Turkish side are reluctant to
sell this summer.
The report adds that Zaniolo is attracting interest from a number of clubs in Italy, but say that Newcastle could complicate a
possible return to Serie A.
Who is Nicolo Zaniolo?
Zaniolo is 24 years of age and is primarily an attacking midfielder who can also turn out on the right-hand side or as a
second striker. The Italy international, who was labelled a wonderkid alongside Tonali back in 2019, spent time in
Fiorentina and Inter Milan’s youth systems before moving to Roma in 2018.
He went on to make 128 senior appearances for Roma, scoring 24 times and providing 18 assists and only made the move to
Galatasaray back in February.
Since then, Zaniolo has contributed to six goals in 12 appearances for his current employers, but it looks as if he is attracting
interest once again.
Described as a “monster” by journalist Nick Mercadante, Zaniolo has also been linked with a move to Tottenham this
summer, with Milliyet’s Galatasaray correspondent Nevzat Dindar saying:
“Zaniolo is also evolving into a world star. English clubs for Zaniolo.
“It goes up to 30-35 million euros. At this point, Galatasaray does not take Juventus’ offers seriously. Tottenham is the
closest club to finish Zaniolo.”
However, it looks as if Newcastle could soon join the race for the left-footed attacker, who would offer plenty of versatility to
Howe’s squad.
During his career, Zaniolo has made 101 appearances as an attacking midfielder, 56 as a right-winger and 28 as a second
striker, so he could prove to be a smart signing in what looks set to be a busy season for the Magpies, making this one to
watch.
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