Jack Harrison is said to be interesting multiple Premier League teams ahead of the January transfer window.
[ MORE: Harrison pens piece for PST ]
Harrison, 20, has starred for New York City FC in Major League Soccer during his debut two seasons in the North American top-flight and the Daily Mail reports that a trio of PL clubs are interested in signing him.
Leicester City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Everton are said to be the three teams interested in attacking midfielder Harrison and, of course, he wouldn’t need a work permit like most of MLS’ young stars.
His reported transfer fee of $10 million is also relatively low compared to similar young talents and he has plenty of experience in senior games at the relatively young age of 20.
Harrison left Manchester United’s academy as a youngster to attend high school in the USA at 14 years old and was named the Gatorade High School Player of the Year before starring at Wake Forest in the ACC for one season. He was then drafted to NYCFC and became an instant hit in MLS, playing a key role alongside Frank Lampard and David Villa at Yankee Stadium in his debut season in 2016 (4 goals) and he scored 10 goals in 34 games for the Bronx club in 2017 to prove his progression.
In a previous chat with Pro Soccer Talk he also revealed it was his “dream” to one day return to England and play in the Premier League. Now seems like a good time to make that happen.
Recently called up for England’s U-21 side, Harrison has shown that young English players can develop successfully Stateside and still reach the PL level. Would he play at Everton, Leicester or Brighton?
Maybe the latter two, but even then he may be a bit-part player to start with. Brighton would be a great place for Harrison to hone his trade and he would also get regular minutes under Chris Hughton, a manager who is known to give youth a chance. Still, it’s a gamble, especially given the fact that he’d be a regular for many years at NYCFC under the watchful eye of Patrick Vieira.
His pace, trickery and ability to finish have seen him flourish in MLS and given the praise lavished on Harrison by Lampard, it would seem that the youngster from Stoke-on-Trent could make the step up from MLS to the PL.
Of course, it wouldn’t be great for MLS to lose one of its brightest young talents but Harrison’s story and potential journey back to the PL would surely entice more top youngsters from academies across Europe to come through the collegiate and MLS system. That can only be a good thing.