But following the return of loan signings Nedum Onuoha and John Mensah to their respective clubs, defence is now a priority, and that is why he is hoping to make progress on O'Shea and Brown.
Regarding its lists of rules on the keeping of promises, the return of loaned goods, etc.—it was argued, for example, that if they were specific enough to be useful (as in the rule against lying or stealing), they would tend to have exceptions which no rule laid down by reason ought to have.
Following the return of loan men Akwasi Asante and Tom Eaves, Marvin Morgan and Ryan Doble have both been let go.
Long term injury to Fraizer Campbell, plus the return of loan forward Danny Welbeck to Manchester United have also placed pressure on the Black Cats squad.
And, with Clark having confirmed that out-of-contract duo Nikola Zigic and Chris Burke will be on their way, along with the return of loan players Federico Macheda, Emyr Huws and Jordan Ibe to their parent clubs, there are holes to fill.
Meanwhile boss Steve Bruce is looking to strengthen the squad, notably in striking areas following the £24m departure of Darren Bent to Aston Villa in January, and the return of loan striker Danny Welbeck to parent club Manchester United.
It gives us more confidence that ICG has got solid companies in its loan portfolio and ₤170m realized from Marken can be put to work at significantly higher margins thereby significantly improving the risk adjusted returns of the loan portfolio.
Within an hour of the announcement Durham recovered from its disappointment, and announced that it would hold its own year of culture in 2013 anyway, with events including the return on loan of the Lindisfarne Gospels to its cathedral.
We've seen some seemingly strong transfer activity with seven signings and big money paid for Payet, Ogbonna and Obiang, while the return on loan of Jenkinson was equally vital.
Dublin signed up for years of austerity in return for €90bn of loans, largely to cover the cost of nationalising its broken banking sector.
