Ipswich Town defender Harry Clarke will spend the rest of the season on loan at Charlton Athletic
Ipswich Town right-back Harry Clarke has joined Championship rivals Charlton Athletic on loan for the rest of the season.
The 24-year-old came through the ranks at Town before joining Arsenal’s academy, but he returned to Portman Road after loan spells at Ross County, Hibernian and Stoke City.
Clarke was part of the squad that helped secure back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, making his top-flight debut in October 2024 – a 4-3 defeat at Brentford where he gave away a penalty and was sent off.
He went out on loan to Sheffield United for the second half of the campaign and missed the start of this season at Ipswich due to a knee issue, although he has been fit since September.
Nathan Jones’ Addicks are hoping to avoid an immediate relegation back to League One (Image: PA)
Clarke has been unable to get minutes in the first team, however, with three-right backs ahead of him in the pecking order (Darnell Furlong, Ashley Young and Ben Johnson). Instead, he has featured twice for the Under-21s, playing against Liverpool and Newcastle United.
Another loan move felt inevitable, with Sheffield United hoping to lead the queue to re-sign him before opting to take on Ki-Jana Hoever from Wolves instead. Charlton have since come in to acquire his services for the rest of the 2025/26 campaign.
Nathan Jones’ side currently sit 19th in the Championship, five points above the relegation zone, with a clear lack of depth at the back due to injuries. Right-back James Bree is due to return to parent club Southampton when his loan spell ends next week.
Speaking about the move, Clarke said: “The main thing for me was the manager. I spoke to him and I got that feeling of being really wanted at a place straight away. Not many teams have come to Portman Road this season and won convincingly which Charlton did, so they’re the appealing factors.”
Jones added: “We’re delighted to bring a player of Harry’s calibre to the football club. He’s an athletic, versatile defender with good experience for his age, and he’s already had real success at this level having starred in Ipswich’s promotion to the Premier League.”
The Addicks, who won 3-0 at Portman Road back in October, will host Ipswich on Wednesday, April 22nd, although Clarke won’t be eligible to play that game at The Valley.
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