The 28-year-old Clarke, a defender whose impact in a Middlesbrough shirt has been limited due to a 14-month injury absence, has been making up lost time since returning from his lengthy layoff.
However, he has been largely excellent for Boro in 2024 and has become a real fan favorite among the Riverside faithful for his tenacious performances in a Boro shirt.
He is one of the most experienced defenders in the Championship, but he will have to contend with the addition of George Edmundson and the return of Dael Fry, which means the former Brighton player will have a fight to stay in Carrick’s starting XI this season. He may leave the club this month in search of more regular game time.
Supporters are no stranger to the former Portsmouth defender, with Clarke having spent two years at Pride Park between 2019 and 2021 on loan from Brighton. He excelled under both Phillip Cocu and Wayne Rooney, winning the club’s Player of the Season award during his first term.
That said, the majority of Clarke’s career has been spent at Fratton Park, with 175 appearances for the club he joined from Ipswich Town in 2015, where he became a crucial player. Both clubs are eyeing a reunion with the seasoned defender this month, according to Witcoop:
With the club hopeful of a return for fellow central defender Darragh Lenihan around the turn of the year and now that Rav van den Berg is back fit, Middlesbrough’s centre-back room is heavily crowded to say the least under Michael Carrick.
That could have Clarke questioning whether Teesside is the best place when it comes to the security of regular game time, and could have clubs sniffing around him as a result.
However, Middlesbrough do have the option to trigger a 12-month extension to Clarke’s contract, and you would have to imagine that’s something Boro will do, even if it’s to ensure they can receive a transfer fee for him should they wish to sell, be that this month or in the summer following a loan spell for the 28-year-old.
Clarke’s know-how in the Championship will only help either of Derby or Portsmouth in their ambitions to retain their second tier status. He would be an excellent addition to either side and surely has an appetite to feature more regularly during the peak years of his career.
