Exclusive: Jack Clarke’s trainer gives inside scoop on pre-season preparation and Spurs hopes

In July 2019, Jack Clarke became the man to end Tottenham’s signing drought under Mauricio Pochettino, with the club going almost 18-months without splashing the cash (The Sun).

The Lilywhites shelled out £10million for the teenage winger who had enjoyed a sparkling breakthrough season at his boyhood club, Leeds United (BBC).

However, the 2019/20 campaign proved to be far less fruitful for the youngster as he endured frustrating loan spells at both Leeds and Queens Park Rangers.

Clarke was handed just 339 minutes on the pitch across the two loan spells, with only seven Championship appearances, none of which came in the form of a place in the starting eleven, (transfermarkt).

Now, technically a Tottenham Hotspur player once again, it remains to be seen whether Clarke will be given the chance to train as a Premier League player this campaign or follow the likes of Troy Parrott by heading out on loan again.

The ex-Leeds United man was seen training with Evolution Sports Academy this week as he looks ahead to the new season, and we caught up with one of their co-founders in an exclusive interview to find out more.

Charlie Marshall revealed that his company specialises in one-on-one training sessions and reached out to Clarke through a couple of his friends.

On what he saw from the Spurs youngster, Marshall exclusively told SpursWeb when answering questions through direct message on Instagram: “He is looking very sharp so far this pre-season and his head is clearly so focused on the season! He puts in 110% in every session we have together which makes it clear as to why he’s already making a great name for himself at such a young age.

“His dribbling skills are class, very fast feet in tight spaces. He’s very direct and runs at defenders with his pace and has a quality delivery to go with it. Some would call him an old school winger in the fact he is so direct and looks to deliver the ball across the box as much as he can.”

Some would argue that Tottenham may be missing an ‘old-fashioned’ winger within their squad, with the likes of Lucas Moura, Heung-min Son, Erik Lamela, and Steven Bergwijn all famed for cutting in and making central runs.

Marshall added that he hoped to see Clarke getting the chance that he deserves next season under Jose Mourinho, while revealing that the teenager spoke to him about the influence of holding shooting sessions with Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

The Evolution Sports Academy co-founder said: “I hope he gets the chance he deserves with Spurs this year and I think his raw pace will scare a lot of full-backs. All defenders will agree that a winger/forward who is always looking to run at you is one to worry about.

“I’ve spoken with him about this and he keeps talking about shooting sessions with Harry Kane to look up to the way he finishes. Also, Son as they are similar positions so he will be sure to learn a lot from him.”

Only time will tell whether Clarke will be afforded the chance to study the likes of Kane and Son next season, or whether he will be asked to prove himself on loan once more.

SpursWeb Opinion

Clarke’s natural talent is clear for anyone to see and it is great to see the character he is displaying by already working on his game so soon after the season has ended while others have jetted off on holiday.

His desire to work hard and improve will certainly be appreciated by those at the club and with Spurs finding themselves having to play qualification rounds for the Europa League, it could represent the perfect opportunity for Clarke to prove his worth and impress Mourinho and the backroom staff.

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