Leeds United fans will be nonplussed after Phil Hay transfer update on Jack Harrison
Phil Hay has confirmed that Jack Harrison is one of two Leeds United players with another clause in his contract allowing him to leave the club this summer.
Speaking on The Square Ball podcast, The Athletic journalist mentioned that after a plethora of players departed on temporary deals following the club’s relegation last summer, only two have that option this time around.
Harrison, on loan at Everton this season, was confirmed by Hay to be one of the players with the option to head out on another temporary deal this summer, surmising that the second could be Marc Roca.
On Leeds’ returning loanees, Hay said: “there’s an absolute stack of those coming back. Marathe was saying they’re not as exposed this time, there aren’t as many loan clauses live as there were last summer.
“My understanding is that there are two. I know that one is Harrison, I’m not certain about the others. (Marc) Roca, I think it probably is, but Harrison definitely, so they’re not totally in control of that.”
Jack Harrison’s time looks over at Leeds United
We’re unlikely to see Harrison pull on the white shirt again with the winger set to return to the Premier League with Everton, but after his departure last summer, it’s not something many Leeds fans will be losing sleep over, they will be totally nonplussed by the news.
It’s a disappointing turn in the 27-year-old’s Elland Road career, having established himself as a favourite of Marcelo Bielsa and winning promotion from the Championship in 2020.
However, Leeds’ failure to secure a 2024 return to the top flight plunges the status of players like Harrison – one of several players who left on loan last summer – into further doubt.
After three goals and assists apiece at Goodison Park, with Everton boss Sean Dyche making it clear he wanted to bring Harrison back to Merseyside next season, and the Whites’ play-off final loss to Southampton makes that an easier prospect for the Toffees.
It remains to be seen if players like Brenden Aaronson will be in the plans of Daniel Farke next season as he returns to Leeds United, and it is hard to imagine Aaronson, Harrison, Roca, or any of the other ship-jumpers, will ever truly be welcomed back to Elland Road.
In other Leeds news, Kalvin Phillips is believed to have decided on the next step in his career.
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