Adam Elliott

Tue 5 November 2019 7:23, UK

Is Jack Harrison a better summer acquisition for Leeds than Helder Costa?

So far, yes. There is no questioning Helder Costa’s ability, and he will become a £15m purchase next summer, but he has really struggled to make an impression in a Leeds United shirt.

His pace and quality in the final third while he was at Wolves gave Leeds fans real optimism this summer. It felt like the missing piece of the puzzle from last season, with Costa brought in to help shoulder the creative burden on Pablo Hernandez. He picked up 17 goals and 17 assists in 79 games for Wolves during their spell in the Championship. It was a signing of intent and of real pedigree that got fans even more excited for Bielsa-ball part two.

One goal and three assists so far is all he’s got to show at Leeds – and two assists and the goal came in EFL Cup games.

Leeds fans had far less expectation for Jack Harrison. He contributed to eight goals (four goals, four assists) in 42 games in all competitions last season and was an ever-present in Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Although his stats left much to be desired, the Argentine saw enough in his one-year loan spell to re-sign him for another season. His pace, mixed with tenacious non-stop running and impeccable work rate, is fantastic. He’s also got a world-class first touch. However, he needed to improve his goal output.

Two goals and four assists in 17 games in all competitions so far for the Manchester City loanee now puts him joint 5th in the league assists standings. It’s mightily impressive and much improved already on last season’s stats.

After scoring his first goal of the season in the opening weekend 3-1 victory at Ashton Gate, Harrison had gone on a barren run without a goal or assist.

He has now put that behind him very quickly and has one goal and four assists in his last five games for the club, meaning he has had a hand in every goal Leeds have scored since the 1-0 win over West Brom at Elland Road. He could have had more… Unfortunately for him his assist for Alioski in that game was officially taken away and put down as an Alioski assist for a Kyle Bartley own goal instead – but without Harrison, there was no goal.

Leeds are now seeing the fruits of his labour and hard work in his underlying stats – and I’d go as far as to say he’s the most underrated player in the team currently.

He was reported to have seen a sports psychologist to deal with the mental side of his game over the summer. This can be so demanding at Leeds, with the weight of pressure and expectancy on the players to get over the line and get promoted this season being greater than ever. He also spent much of his downtime doing extra training during this time. Whatever he did differently seems to be paying off.

It’s not just his general goals and assists output which is much improved this season compared to last. As shown by the @AllStatsArentWe Twitter account, his all-round game has been improved.

We may have an obligation to buy Helder Costa but it would seem the more obvious permanent signing should be Jack Harrison. I, among many Leeds fans now, would like to see the option to buy activated which is not something I thought I would say back in May!

Patrick Vieira managed Harrison during his spell in the MLS at New York City. When asked if he was good enough for the Premier League in an interview with The Athletic he said, “Oh yeah, Jack is that good.”

It’s hard to disagree with that statement at present, and from a man who is as qualified as any in that field of expertise.

Harrison has been exposed to a good footballing background and philosophy in his short career to date. A teammate to footballing greats such as David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, and Frank Lampard, and coached by the likes of Bielsa and Pep Guardiola… He’s been highly thought of everywhere he’s gone and that’s enough for me.

In other Leeds news, Paul Robinson delivers verdict on Leeds stand-in keeper Meslier