One loan a big waste of time as Tottenham recall three players

Tottenham have recalled three loanees, with Jack Clarke, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Kazaiah Sterling all returning to their parent club. 

Jack Clarke’s loan to Leeds United will go down as one of the biggest wastes of time in Tottenham’s loan history. While the intention, to get the 19-year-old consistent playing time in the Championship, was good, the result was far from it.

Clarke played a measly 19 minutes of Championship football at Leeds this season. He did make two league cup appearances, but his time would have been better spent training at Hotspur Way being exposed to world-class players and coaches.

While by no means is the damage irreparable, Clarke’s growth and development has stunted since Spurs bought him in the summer. Mauricio Pochettino is one of the world’s best at developing youth players while Jose Mourinho’s wealth of experience would have served the teenager well. Sure, Mourinho has only been in charge for about six weeks, but every minute of development at this level counts.

Mourinho recognized the pointless nature of Clarke’s loan spell at Leeds and pulled the string to get him on the next train back to London. While there is almost no chance of Clarke seeing any first team action this season with the senior squad, at least he’ll learn through osmosis, getting the chance to train with élite players daily. He is a player for the future, so it’s best to get him around senior players, to learn about how they go about their daily regiments.

Cameron Carter-Vickers and Kazaiah Sterling also return

The BBC today confirmed the return of Carter-Vickers from Stoke City and Sterling from Doncaster. All three players return to Tottenham on January 2. A perennial loanee, Carter-Vickers has basically been out on loan since signing for Spurs in 2016. He made 17 appearances for Sheffield United in 2017-18 before being sent to Ipswich Town where he also made 17 appearances.

The 21-year-old then moved on to Swansea City in 2018-19 where he made 30 appearances. Carter-Vickers saw the pitch 12 times with Stoke this campaign. He’ll be hoping to stay permanently at Tottenham after being bounced around like a toddler on a trampoline. However, it is likely that Carter-Vickers will be sold after his return. Continually shipping him off like an unwanted child to boarding school is not working. It’s time we pull the plug and sell him to a side that wants what he offers.

Sterling, 21, barely got a sniff at Doncaster. He made only three appearances during his brief stint with the League One side.

What are your thoughts on the Clarke loan?