OFFICIAL: Ciaran Clark joins Sheffield United on a season-long loan

After adding multiple players, all of them to bolster the defense, Newcastle United just confirmed the departure of center-back and long-time Magpie Ciaran Clark. The 32-year-old player from Ireland is joining Sheffield United on a season-long loan that will see him play in the Championship next season.

While a more than accomplished player, Clark had seen his importance grow smaller each passing year in Tyneside and is finally moving on from the club—if only for a year, though his current contract with Newcastle is expiring by June of 2023. Clark went from appearing in 34 games in United’s last season in the Championship (2016/17) to doing so 20, 11, 14, 22, and 13 times in the following years, all of them in the Premier League.

The arrival of Dan Burn in January, along with the addition of Sven Botman this summer, left Clark out of the soon-to-be-announced 25-man squad that Eddie Howe is plotting to carry into the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.

Clark will leave Newcastle after playing 129 games for the club in all competitions while scoring 11 goals in those matches. He becomes the third signing of Sheffield United this month and after the transfer market officially opened, following the steps of Tommy Doyle and Anel Ahmedhodzic.

In his international career, Clark has represented his country in 36 games and has scored twice for the Republic of Ireland while at it.

Here’s hoping for the best for Clark in the remainder of his career and going forward!