to be in the region of £750,000. He left his post on 13 December 2018 following a run of seven defeats in ten matches; at the time of his departure he was the fourth-longest serving manager in the EFL. Walsall On 10 May 2019, Clarke signing a three-year contract to become Walsall's new manager following their relegation into League Two at the end of the 2018–19 season. He signed 16 players as 23 departed – including midfielder George Dobson, who was sold on to Sunderland – and got off to a poor start after Walsall picked up just one win the opening ten games of the 2019–20 campaign, with the team sound defensively but failing to create any chances in a 5–3–2 formation. Form improved as Clarke switched to a 4–4–2 formation and got the best out of 22-year old Wes McDonald, however a run of six league defeats began in October and drew the club into a relegation battle, though was immediately followed by a run of only two defeats in 11 league games. Walsall were in mid-table when the season was ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England and Walsall Supporters’ Trust secretary Steve Davies said that the team were "starting to gel and the signing of Wes McDonald was key". Clarke went on to admit that the following campaign would likely see him focus more on youth as the club faced a challenging financial future due to the effects of the pandemic. He left the Bescot Stadium midway through the 2020–21 season with Walsall 11th in the table after Port Vale agreed to pay Walsall a compensation package. Port Vale On 15 February 2021, Clarke was appointed as manager of Port Vale, who were 18th in League Two and without a permanent manager since the departure of John Askey at the start of January. He arrived a week after David Flitcroft's appointment as director of football. It took him eight games to get his first win as Vale manager, which came in a 2–1 victory over Newport County on 16 March at Vale Park. This was the first of six successive victories, the longest winning streak for the club since March 1996. He was nominated for the League Two Manager of the Month award after his team picked up 16 out of an available 18 points in April, conceding just a single goal in the