The loan signing of exciting winger Liverpool winger Sheyi Ojo and competition at left-back with the signing of Gaeten Bong were pleasing indeed. Despite this, it was the critical reception our last minute loan signing Leon Clarke received from a lot of our fans base.
The majority of the critical comments were along the lines of ‘he’s not good enough and doesn’t score enough goals’. This is because he has only scored three goals in 30 league appearances at his parent club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
However, a big chunk of Clarke’s appearances at Wolves have come from the bench. His record suggests he has scored goals wherever he has been.
Admittedly, Clarke has been somewhat of a journeyman throughout his career, with his current loan spell at the Latics being the 15th club he’s played for. Nevertheless, he has been prolific at the majority of his clubs.
For example, when on loan at Southend United, he scored eight goals in 16 league games. When on loan at Chesterfield, he scored nine goals in 14 league games. Finally, when on loan at Scunthorpe United, he scored 11 goals in 15 league games.
The main critics would now suggest that these statistics are irrelevant, as they are in the lower leagues. But how many times have we seen Wigan gamble on a foreign striker with a good record abroad, who then fails to score goals. Some names include Julius Aghahowa and, more recently, Andy Delort.
Meanwhile, successful Championship clubs have gambled on strikers from the lower leagues. Charlie Austin helped QPR gain promotion after climbing the leagues from non-league Poole Town. Andre Gray has helped Brentford climb into the play-off places, after recently playing in non-league for Luton Town.
In my opinion, Leon Clarke can silence his critics and score goals. You just have to look at his prolific time at Coventry City, where he scored 23 goals in 34 league matches.
Here’s a little food for thought. Clarke’s strike partner from that season at Coventry, Callum Wilson, is now top of the league with Bournemouth having scored 12 Championship goals.