Charlton Athletic are among a trio of Championship clubs set to battle it out for Sheffield United striker Leon Clarke, as reported by Football Insider.
What’s the story?
Alongside Huddersfield Town and Stoke City, the Addicks are hoping to acquire the services of the 34-year-old, who Chris Wilder is willing to let leave for a nominal fee.
The Blades manager’s stance comes with Clarke having managed just 46 minutes across two substitute appearances, one of which came in the Premier League and the other made in the Carabao Cup.
It is suggested that there is little chance of the veteran striker breaking into the team at Bramall Lane in the second half of the season, which has led to the interest in his signature.
Championship pedigree
He may have been unable to make much of an impact at Sheffield United this season, but Clarke has pedigree at Championship level, which justifies interest in him from the second tier – especially from teams who are in the bottom half of the table.
In this league, Clarke has played a total 285 games, scoring 60 goals and assisting a further 21 throughout his career. This record comes from spells at the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield Wednesday.
Calling all Premier League experts: Who do these unique statistics belong to? Find out below….
During his last campaign at this level, he managed three goals and two assists for Wigan Athletic in half a season to help them stay in the Championship.
Clarke has plenty of experience and pedigree in the second tier, which means Charlton are right to be looking at the 34-year-old, even if there is the risk of some rust having formed due to a period with minimal game time.
While he poses a different threat, bringing in another forward could help to ease the burden felt by Lee Bowyer’s side, after it was confirmed that Jonathan Leko will miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury.
In other news, Charlton fans swooned over striker’s performance in their Bristol City win.
