The Geordie midfielder is ready to tear things up in the Sky Bet Championship
Bobby Clark of FC Red Bull Salzburg
Bobby Clark of FC Red Bull Salzburg(Image: Getty Images)
Former Newcastle United Academy star Bobby Clark has revealed that "proving people wrong" is a major motivation for him after opting to sign for Derby County on loan.
The 20-year-old has signed on a season long deal from RB Salzburg and as Chronicle Live reported on Monday night, the player was offered to Newcastle with the club enduring a midfield crisis. But this was a move that Newcastle opted against leaving Clark to join the Rams.
We understand that Clark also turned down both Leeds United and Sunderland to pursue regular first-team football at Derby. It is believed that Newcastle would have been the only club that Clark would have accepted the role of a squad player.
Clark had left Newcastle in 2021 as a 16-year-old and before professional terms could be agreed. It was deemed one of the last awful acts of the Mike Ashley era and one that insiders believe could have been avoided.
Clark, after signing for Derby, said: "I think John Eustace (Derby manager) knows that I'm at a point where I want to prove people wrong, and I'm hungry to play football again, especially being back in the UK.
"It's a great league and I just want to kick on here.
"Once I found out Derby were interested, I had a chance to speak with the manager and the staff. With his goals and the way he is aligned with me, it seemed right."
United remain on the hunt for a midfielder but have other priorities too. Howe sold Sean Longstaff to Leeds United and Joe Willock has picked up an injury which could rule him out for six weeks. Newcastle could also do with bolstering their homegrown quota of stars for the Champions League.
Howe told Chronicle Live on Monday: "We want six - and now we are down to four. So that is an issue for us and it is a position that we are looking at.
"We don't think Joe Willock's injury is serious. I gave it prognosis four to six weeks, that could be less. But I think it is an area we are looking at."
Sandro Tonali's absence against Tottenham Hotspur in the final game of the Far East tour has also shone a light on how badly Newcastle need midfielders. They are only another injury away from big problems in the engine room.
Speaking on Tonali, Howe had said: "Sandro is fine that was just a precaution from us. There are no issues there.
"He wanted to play, but it was my decision to pull him back and make sure his knee is OK."
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