Clarke moves on season-long loan to F̶r̶a̶n̶k̶ ̶L̶a̶m̶p̶a̶r̶d̶’̶s̶ Derby County
The Amex Stadium revolving door is getting a bloody good workout this summer. The latest new arrival to head out on loan is £3.5m centre back Matt Clarke who will spend the 2019-20 season with Frank Lampard’s Derby County.
Clarke became the Albion’s 15th most expensive signing ever when he arrived from Portsmouth a month ago. Yet he will be waiting at least a year to make his competitive Brighton debut as he heads to Pride Park.
In many ways, the move makes sense despite the predictable bed wetting from some Albion fans who can’t understand why we are spending £3.5m on a defender, just to give him to Derby for a season. Here’s why.
Clarke has been hugely impressive in League One and Two for Pompey, winning promotion from the bottom division before captaining the club to the third play offs and victory at Wembley in the Checkatrade Checkatrade.com Trophy last season.
But he is yet to prove himself at Championship level, let alone in the Premier League. At 22, he needs to be playing regular first team football to continue his develop – something that it seems he would be unlikely to get at the Amex with Lewis Dunk, Shane Duffy and potentially new-signing Adam Webster all ahead of him in the pecking order.
A season in the Championship with one of the better clubs is a good deal for everyone concerned. The Albion will have a more experienced and (hopefully) improved player returning to them come May.
Clarke plays week in, week out for one of the biggest sides in the second tier. And Derby get a replacement for one-time Albion loanee Fikayo Tomori, who has returned to parent club Chelsea after a successful stint in the East Midlands.
Most of us had to a double take when we saw that the Albion are looking to break their transfer record and pay £22m for Webster. Tyrone Mings moved to Aston Villa for a similarly eye-watering amount a matter of weeks ago, both of those fees being based on one good season.
In this crazy transfer market, that now appears to be the going price for a top class Championship centre back. If Clarke is as good as everyone seems to think he is, then an excellent season for Derby could put him into the same bracket as Webster and Mings, making the £3.5m we’ve paid to Portsmouth seem an absolute steal.
Clarke is under contract until 2023 and he is seen by the Albion as a long-term investment. He certainly looked the part when captaining the Under 23s in their 1-0 friendly win over Crawley Town.
Graham Potter and the club are clearly playing the long game with him. It may seem disappointing right now that we’re buying players with no intention of using them in the first team, but if he earns rave reviews at Pride Park then it will seem like a very shrewd decision in a year’s time.
