---
title: "Sunderland: Jake Clarke-Slater might not be as bad as you think"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/sunderland-jake-clarke-slater-might-not-be-as-bad-as-you-think/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Jack Cunningham"
section: "Chelsea Football Club"
published: "2019-06-18T18:30:49Z"
modified: "2019-06-19T09:57:40Z"
---

# Sunderland: Jake Clarke-Slater might not be as bad as you think

**A fairly big-name England U21 squad kick-off their European Championship campaign tonight with a match against France at the Stadio Dino Manuzzi in Cesena.**

In a squad containing relatively well-known talents in the likes of James Maddison, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Tammy Abraham, leading the team out will be Chelsea youth player Jake Clarke-Salter, who spent this season out on loan at Chelsea feeder club Vitesse Arnhem.

[There, he made 37 appearances in all competitions as Arnhem finished fifth](https://www.transfermarkt.com/jake-clarke-salter/leistungsdaten/spieler/316551) after previously wearing the armband for the Young Lions at U19 level, as well as forming part of the U20 squad who won the World Cup in 2017.

> Ready to lead the [#YoungLions](https://twitter.com/hashtag/YoungLions?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/ZyFLjUsLGG](https://t.co/ZyFLjUsLGG)
>
> — England (@England) [June 17, 2019](https://twitter.com/England/status/1140706175664582656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Clearly rated in the national set-up, this news, however, might just surprise Sunderland fans after Clarke-Salter spent a disastrous spell on loan on Wearside in the 2017/18 season. Indeed, it was an awful season for all connected to Sunderland as they were relegated from the Championship, with the player himself [describing](https://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/football/sunderland-afc/sunderland-afc-news/ex-sunderland-defender-jake-clarke-salter-opens-up-on-tough-loan-spell-at-the-stadium-of-light-1-9398805) his stint at the Stadium of Light as ‘tough’.

The then 20-year-old made only a handful of appearances for the Black Cats as a lack of discipline saw him [sent off twice](https://www.transfermarkt.com/jake-clarke-salter/leistungsdaten/spieler/316551/plus/0?saison=2017) in crucial games. Obviously, this was a steep learning curve for the young man, and he has used that pitiful time at Sunderland to build, getting to the point where he will now captain a side who rank [amongst](https://betting.betfair.com/football/european-u21-championship/european-u21-championships-team-by-team-guide-070619-777.html) the favourites for the entire tournament.

Aidy Boothroyd’s decision to name Clarke-Salter as captain shows how players, through hard work and determination, can turn their careers around, especially at such a young age. To entirely blame him for the club’s struggles during that campaign would be too much but the sight of seeing him don the armband might still be a little jarring.

Perhaps he’s really not as bad as he looked after all…

***Black Cats, did you get the impression Clarke-Slater had this in him? Join the discussion by commenting below…***