Peterborough owner Darragh MacAnthony has hinted that the £6 million figure fee for striker Jonson Clarke-Harris isn’t far from what the club will expect to earn if the player moves this January.
Clarke-Harris was linked with a move to Sunderland this window, with Alex Crook reporting that Lee Johnson is keen to bring the player to the Stadium of Light this month.
“Don’t have a figure but told it could be more than £6m,” wrote Crook on Twitter.
With Peterborough having signed Callum Morton on loan, MacAnthony was asked whether it meant another striker was leaving the club in his place.
This prompted a response from the President of the club, saying: “Yep. It’s Jan. Usually means someone is on their way out lol.”
When further questioned about the possibility of selling Clarke-Harris for as much as £6 million, MacAnthony explained his reasoning for such a figure.
“We paid £2m incl add on’s, player won EFL POY, Golden Boot (33 goals),Promotion & scoring in champ. What price for striker who wins a club promotion in market with no shit hot strikers available. No truth in the article figure wise but people need to calm down re the £6m figure,” wrote MacAnthony, via Twitter, followed by a smiley face emoji,
Clarke-Harris arrived at the Posh in 2020, where he has scored 35 goals in 63 appearances for the club. He arrived from Bristol Rovers for a £2 million fee, as cited by MacAnthony.
Peterborough are 22nd in the Championship and fighting for their survival in the division.
The Posh lost their last league game, falling to a 3-1 defeat away to Blackpool.
Darren Ferguson’s side are in the relegation zone, with Reading three points ahead in 21st. However, Peterborough do have a game in hand on their rivals. Barnsley are five points behind with only 14 points and a game more played.
Peterborough’s next league game comes against Coventry City on January 15.
The Verdict
It’s certainly unusual for a club’s owner to announce where he has arrived at a transfer evaluation for one of his players on Twitter.
However, his reasoning is more than valid. He obviously believes the player to be valuable enough to price so highly.
This is especially true of a side fighting against relegation into League One. Having a striker who can offer the team guaranteed goals will be so important as they battle to stay in the Championship.
The potentially £6 million fee likely wouldn’t cover the cost of relegation to the club, so these things absolutely need to be weighed up whenever an offer is expected, especially in the January market.