Town have confirmed the permanent signing of Arsenal defender Harry Clarke, as revealed by TWTD earlier this afternoon, the one-time Blues academy schoolboy’s season-long loan spell at Championship Stoke City having been cut short.

The Blues are understood to have paid a fee of around £1 million for the 21-year-old, who has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with the club having an option for a further season.

“It’s been a long couple of days but what a feeling to be back,” Clarke told the club website. “I’m home and it feels good. The style of play is something I really like and I want to be a part of it.

“The conversations with the manager have been great and he solidified my decision to come back. I can’t wait to step out of the tunnel at Portman Road, it will be an amazing feeling.”

Manager Kieran McKenna added: “Harry brings a lot of the qualities that we want in the team now and for the future.

“I think he’s a really good fit for where we want to go. Of course, he has links and history with the club and the area which is a bonus as well.

“He’s coming in fit and he’s been playing. We want him to be involved in the immediate future.

“We’ve brought four really good players in the building now which gives us good depth and numbers in all the positions we want.”

Clarke’s grandfather, Terry, a player with Town from 1950 to 1956 under Scott Duncan and Sir Alf Ramsey’s management without making a senior appearance, was born in 1934 and in tribute the Blues' new signing has opted to wear the number 34 shirt.

Twice capped by England at U17 level, Clarke left Town for the Gunners' youth set-up aged 14 in August 2015 having previously been the scorer of the U14s’ Barcelona-esque goal which went viral.

Born in Ipswich, Clarke was with Brantham Athletic prior to joining Town’s academy. At the time he was a forward but now operates as either a centre-half or right-back.

In 2020 he joined Oldham Athletic on loan for the campaign, then spent the first half of the following season in Scotland with Ross County before subsequently joining Hibs in the January.

Last summer he moved to Stoke in the Championship where he made 10 starts and 10 sub appearances, scoring twice.

In addition to grandfather Terry being on the Blues' books, his older brother George was with the Town academy in the 2013/14 campaign and currently plays for Felixstowe & Walton.

Clarke appears to be viewed as someone to vie with Janoi Donacien for his role on the right-side of the defence.

Photo: ITFC

Bazza8564 added 22:06 - Jan 19 Welcome back young man, looking forward to many years of you contributing to our regeneration. Knowing the club and area as you do, it will obviously mean as much to you as it does to us.
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CaptainAhab added 22:17 - Jan 19 Get in! We've done some great business this window!
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dangerous30 added 22:21 - Jan 19 Great signing good luck harry and welcome home
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Gforce added 22:26 - Jan 19 Welcome back Harry,hopefully you'll have a long and successful career,with your home town club. Who knows maybe a future club captain 🤔
9

terryf added 23:26 - Jan 19 Looks quick and strong and should be a real asset to us going forward. Could see him playing in a three at the back.
3

dubblue added 23:39 - Jan 19 Another great signing great to have you back Harry! Welcome home
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Kentish_Tractor added 00:05 - Jan 20 HE'S ONE OF OUR OWN HE'S ONE OF OUR OWWWWNNN HARRY CLAAARRRRKE HE'S ONE OF OUR OWN
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Positive_Vibes added 00:20 - Jan 20 If he was 15 when he left Town in 2015, how is he 21 and not 22? Glad to have him on board. An exciting prospect and versatile. I like this signing as a right back/ right wing back. At only 5'11” I'm not so sure as a central defender.. All of our others are over 6'3”.
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Positive_Vibes added 00:22 - Jan 20 From the video clips he looks like a right sided Leif Davis.
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johnwarksshorts added 06:26 - Jan 20 All the peices of the jigsaw are fitting together nicely. This shows real intent and ambition to drive this club upwards where it belongs. Great signing.
3

LegendofthePhoenix added 06:26 - Jan 20 Welcome back to ITFC Harry. Reading all the comments from SUFC and AFC fans, they really rate you, so lets hope you smash it here and help us to the Championship this season and beyond. Can't wait to see you play - this weekend maybe????
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LegendofthePhoenix added 06:27 - Jan 20 SCFC oops
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BotesdaleBlue added 06:48 - Jan 20 I can't wait to see you in the side - Hurry up Harry, come on!!!
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Help added 07:47 - Jan 20 He's a Blue like his old man, Now he's back home at Portman Clarke, Clarke I know it doesn't work
1

WhoisJimmyJuan added 07:59 - Jan 20 But a good try Help!
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Linkboy13 added 08:27 - Jan 20 Being a former Brantham player myself naturally im delighted with this signing . If he doesn't perform they will no biased opinions or excuses from me though. Harry Clarke now he really is one of our own come on my son.
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PortmanTerrorist added 08:49 - Jan 20 Great news and great timing with JD looking like he has been nursing a knock in recent times. Just brilliant biz by the Club and hopefully an equally brilliant decision for Harry to come home. PS: For all the comments, there is no mention of "Nobby". Growing up, the idea of having a player named Clarke that was not a "Nobby" would have been unthinkable ! lol
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ArnieM added 09:03 - Jan 20 Welcome HOME Harry 👍…. Looking forward to seeing you bomb down that wing!
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Help added 09:12 - Jan 20 More excitement from the club, building for the future, as well as now. Anymore?? you have to ask.
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Rimsy added 09:14 - Jan 20 Great signing. Looks a cut above Donacien (and Div 1)so will slot into that position nicely. Really given ourselves every chance of reeling in Plymouth or Wednesday with these four signings.
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bluesheds added 09:20 - Jan 20 There you go, commented on this site Tuesday saying it was going to happen and most dismissed it. He's a great addition to the team and brought in ready, hopefully for Championship level football. Arsenal wouldn't have kept him on books for 8 years if they didn't think he could make it. Hopefully under our current management we can turn him into the finish player Arsenal hoped he could be. So good signs for us going forward, building a team ready for next level, rather than getting there buy hook or crook, and panic buying.

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Ipswichbusiness added 09:41 - Jan 20 Baggott will be back from, a hopefully, successful loan during the summer, so that will make, in effect, two new defensive signings. Who will move on? I suspect that Keogh will hang up his playing boots, but it looks like one of Edmundson and Donacien will be encouraged to find another Club.
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BrettenhamBlue added 09:49 - Jan 20 Take a look at the Twitter comments. It's clear most Arsenal fans expected him to be in the first team quite soon. An outstanding signing and brings that raw determination to our defence.
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brazil1982 added 09:50 - Jan 20 Hang on, his Grandfather was with us for seven years, yet never made a senior appearance? Surely that can't be right?
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bringmeaKuqi added 09:50 - Jan 20 Playing 3 CDs means there is space in the club for Donacien, Woolfenden, Clarke, Edmundson, Burgess and Baggott. My feeling is Baggott will go out on loan again for 6 months next season anyway. So that leaves 5 players playing for 3 spaces. We need an older head in there, so one of Donacien and Burgess will always play. My feeling is that Clarke will play on the right of the 3 to give Donacien some games rest this season, but mostly will play through the middle long term. I could see Woolfenden moving to the left to rest Burgess. Of all these defenders, Edmundson is the weakest at the moment, but Burgess has less room for improvement, and is probably the one that will make way long term.

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