Premier League legend declared bankrupt as €2.3m mansion listed on court order
Ex-Premier League footballer Lee Clark, known for his time at Newcastle United, Sunderland, and Fulham, has been hit with bankruptcy due to a debt owed to One Stop Business, a finance company based in York.
The insolvency notice was officially recorded in the London Gazette, which means Clark's assets are now frozen under the authority of the Insolvency Service.
His bank accounts, savings and other valuable assets could be used to pay his unsecured creditors if he does not address the debt. He told the Mirror that he was unaware of the bankruptcy order when we called at his £2m mansion in Jesmond, Newcastle.
Asked about being made bankrupt, he said: "I have no idea," before going back into the property. When we called again, he added: "I have no comment to make. I know nothing. Don't keep pressing the buzzer."
Clark, who notched up over 200 appearances across two stints with Newcastle United, also celebrated promotions to the Premier League with both Fulham and Sunderland, clocking up more than 400 top-tier matches and earning caps for England's under-21 side, reports the Mirror.
His career kicked off at Newcastle as part of Kevin Keegan's 'Entertainers' squad in the 1990s, and he made a controversial £2.5m switch to Sunderland in 1997, where he eventually fell out of favour with fans during Peter Reid's management tenure.
He was spotted wearing a T-shirt bearing a derogatory slogan aimed at 'Sad Mackem B******s' at the 1999 FA Cup final. He did not play for the club again, but moved to Fulham before a brief return to Newcastle.
Following his retirement from playing in 2006, Clark took up management roles at Huddersfield, Birmingham City, and Blackpool, as well as coaching stints in Sudan and Oman. His son Bobby has followed in his footballing footsteps, having played for Liverpool and then moving on to RB Salzburg.
Despite the controversial end to his Sunderland tenure, Clark was a fan favourite and a key player during their promotion-winning 1998/99 season, even wearing the captain's armband on occasion. More recently, he's been sharing his insights as a television and radio pundit.
When asked by former Sunderland striker Ally McCoist on talkSPORT if he wanted the Black Cats to win the play-off final, Clark responded: "Do you know what Ally?
"I've said this all the time, and my pals will tell you this, whoever spoke to us, I want Sunderland in the Premier League. I want the derby games back. I would love Middlesbrough in the Premier League. I want the North East clubs back.
"Let's get North East football back on the map."
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