Sunderland have completed the signing of Jack Clarke on loan from Tottenham Hotspur.
The 21-year-old has put pen to paper on a deal which will run until the end of the 2021/22 season.
Clarke has also become the Black Cats' fourth arrival of the January transfer window after Danny Batth, Trai Hume and Patrick Roberts all arrived earlier this month.
Speaking after joining the club, he told Sunderland's website : "I can't wait to get started. I'm from this part of the world, so I know this is a massive club and what it means to the fans.
"I'm looking forward to playing at the Stadium of Light and the prospect of being part of the team that takes the club back to the Championship.
"I want to help the team as much as possible, whether that's goals or assists, and ensure we reach that end goal."
Lee Johnson added: "Jack is a talented player and having followed his progress over the past few years, I feel like he’s really grown on the pitch throughout the past six months and found a maturity to pair with that talent.
"The competition for places in our final third is strong and we want to be able to change games as we move into the back end of the season.
"Jack understands that this is a big club with a lot to play for, but he wants to be an influential player for us and help to ensure we have a successful end to the season."
Clarke progressed through the ranks of Leeds United’s academy and was viewed as a very highly rated young talent during his days at Thorp Arch.
In fact, he was that well thought of by Marcelo Bielsa, he was handed his first team debut at the age of 17 in the Whites’ 1-1 Championship draw with Brentford.
He scored his first goal for the club in December 2018 in a superb 3-2 comeback victory over Aston Villa, before then finding the net again just two weeks later against Nottingham Forest.
After a string of impactful substitute appearances, he was then given his first start for the Whites in front of the Sky cameras in a 2-0 win over Derby County.
Clarke provided the assist for Kemar Roofe’s opening goal and was awarded the Man of the Match trophy after a scintillating performance.
His form attracted attention from the Premier League and Tottenham Hotspur had seen enough from Clarke to warrant spending £10 million on his signature.
He was immediately loaned straight back out to Leeds but was then recalled just six months later due to a lack of game time.
Clarke has struggled to establish himself as a first team player at Spurs and has also spent time on loan at both QPR and Stoke City in the Championship, without a great deal of success.
But if Clarke can recapture the form he showed during his breakthrough few months at Leeds, where he was able to breeze beyond full backs for fun, he could be a major asset at Sunderland.
A goal early in his Black Cats career would almost certainly go a long way to him re-finding his confidence, which could spell real trouble for League One defences.
