Revealed: Leeds face losing loan star in January after PL club hold talks

Revealed: Leeds face losing loan star in January after PL club hold talks

Wayne Veysey

Founder & Managing Director AUTHORITY Former chief correspondent at Evening Standard, Goal and Press Association with nearly three decades in national, regional and digital news and sports journalism. Wayne directs the network’s news strategy and high-level operations. FOCUS Editorial direction for the 11-site network and newsroom management. THE BRIEF Wayne oversees the network’s editorial standards across the network. He provides the final sign-off on all headline scoops, ensuring content across all platforms meets the standards required for a high-velocity newsroom.

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Leeds United face the growing prospect of losing Jack Clarke back to Tottenham in the January window, Football Insider has learned.

The teenage winger's career has stalled following his freeze-out from the United team in the opening two months of the new campaign.

A Leeds source has told Football Insider that the Premier League club have held internal talks about recalling Clarke in January and loaning him out to a new club.

Clauses inserted in Clarke's season-long transfer from the Premier League giants mean he can be recalled in the winter window.

Spurs are set to exercise that option if Clarke continues to be the odd man out at the Championship big hitters so soon after his £9million transfer.

The Londoners were keen for the 18-year-old to continue his development this season under Marcelo Bielsa.

But they envisaged far more game time for Clarke, who has not had a single minute of league action and didn't even make the matchday squad for six of their 11 Championship matches.

The rising star has been restricted to two run-outs in the League Cup and Under-23s football.

He has been the victim of the EFL's strict rule on loan players as well as his loan side's strong start to the season, which left them fifth in the table going into the international break.

EFL rules allow five loanees in a match-day squad, which means Marcelo Bielsa has to leave out one of the six Leeds loan players.

Clarke has returned to the matchday 18 for the last three league games, but was once again an unused substitute in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Millwall.

www.footballinsider247.com