Clarke steps up Caulker switch bid
Scotland manager Steve Clarke is set to start the process of switching steven Caulker’s eligibility from England to Scotland as he desperately seeks options at centre-half.
Clarke has been alerted to Caulker’s desire to play for Scotland despite the former Tottenham and Liverpool defender having played – and scored – for England against Sweden in 2012.
That match was a friendly, so Caulker is still permitted to change nations and he is eligible for Scotland because his grandmother, Jessie, hailed from Dollar.
His aunt and uncle still live in the area and he stayed there for a spell after signing for Dundee two seasons ago.
Now playing for surprise Turkish Super Lig leaders Alanyaspor, he recently told an interviewer the chance to play for Scotland would be “amazing”, adding that he’d “love to help and share my experience”.
Clarke’s No 2 Steven Reid last week confirmed Caulker had been in touch and Clarke plans to travel to Turkey to watch the 27-year-old in the flesh.
The paperwork involved in the switch might take too long to call up Caulker for the final Euro 2020 qualifiers against Cyprus and Kazakhstan next month.
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this Sunday and are looking to bounce back after suffering their first league defeat of the season two weekends ago against Besiktas. Caulker was named on the bench for that fixture and did not come on.
“I’ll get one or two people to track him down and see if the interest is a bit more than what’s been said in the paper,” said Clarke. “Then we’ll try and get someone across to watch him – if I can get over there myself, I will do it.
“I noticed he didn’t play the last game so I’ll have to find out why,” he added. “I think it’s difficult timescale-wise as he’s changing nationality basically. It takes a little bit more time. It’s something I only touched on last week because I was preparing for these games.
“It is something I need to have a chat with the [SFA] administrators about in the next two or three days.”
Therewaslittleinscotland’s defeat by Russia last week to alter Clarke’s view that defensive reinforcements are required. His side lost four quick second-half goals in a 4-0 defeat.
Sunday’s 6-0 win over San Marino brought some relief but the defence was barely tested. Kilmarnock’s Stuart Findlay came in at centre-half for his first cap and scored the fifth goal, but Clarke is still on the hunt for alternatives and Caulker remains a realistic target.