One day, son, you could be like BRITT

Date published: 08 August 2014


JONSON Clarke-Harris has looked a million dollars in pre-season, to the extent that his manager says every club in Sky Bet League One covets his talents.

Lee Johnson even reckons that if the 20-year-old can continue to improve his game, finding his range regularly from close in, then he can emulate the man involved in the Football League’s highest-profile deal of the week and move to a higher level for a vast sum.

“You look at Britt Assombalonga, who has gone for over £5million,” said Johnson, ahead of tomorrow’s opening Sky Bet League One game at Colchester in which Clarke-Harris is a certainty to start up front after six goals in pre-season.

“Jonson Clarke-Harris has got the potential to do something like that, without a doubt.

“Yes, he has to score those tap-ins as he doesn’t get enough of those.

“But he is certainly at a point in his career where he is improving.

“We believe in him and he believes in himself. He now knows what the division is about, which is a big thing.

“He will come up against opponents he remembers from last season — knowing he is quicker and stronger than one, or that he will need to manipulate the ball better against another who has those attributes too.

“The more experience you can get in any division as a player, the better.”

Clarke-Harris enters the season having scored eight times in 2013-14.

It might be a stretch to expect him to suddenly net 20-plus goals, but Johnson pointed out that a player at the club where Clarke-Harris (pictured below) started his pro career managed.

“We don’t know who will score 25 goals in this division,” Johnson added. “Last year it was Callum Wilson at Coventry, who probably wouldn’t have even been in the betting. Now he has gone (to Bournemouth) for £2.5m.

“Somebody has got to come to the fore. But you only know by giving these lads a chance.

“We have done that in pre-season and we have probably got the top scorer, or one of them, from the summer (Clarke-Harris).

“I know it doesn’t count. But everyone in the division will be looking at our player thinking that if they could take Jonson Clarke-Harris, they would.”