Leeds United star admits transfer 'vulnerability' and unfinished business Elland Road contract claim - YEP 6/4/23
Leeds United midfielder Jack Harrison admits feeling vulnerable after his failed Leicester City move in January but insists he has unfinished business at Elland Road as the 26-year-old and his agent aim to thrash out a contract extension
Joe Donnohue
Jack Harrison was on the verge of becoming a Leicester City
player on transfer deadline day just over two months ago, before being told to
make his way back up the M1 as Leeds pulled the plug on a reported £22 million
move.
Currently, the England hopeful is playing some of his best
football in a Leeds shirt, contributing directly to five of the Whites’ last
ten league goals.
Harrison admits in a new interview with The Telegraph he
felt ‘vulnerable’ following the breakdown of his Foxes switch but is now intent
on remaining a Whites player.
“As a player it was the most vulnerable I’ve felt. It was a
big eye-opener to what goes on behind the scenes with football. When I got the
call [telling him to return to Leeds] I had to accept it straight away. You
have to accept the chaos and move forward,” he says.
Since Harrison’s eleventh hour U-turn at the behest of his
current employers, talks have been underway between the player’s
representatives and Leeds United over a renewal at Elland Road, supported by a
claim in The Telegraph’s report that Harrison is close to signing a new deal.
His current contract expires next summer and having come to the fore under new head
coach Javi Gracia, just over 12 months remaining on his current deal is a
precarious position for the Whites hierarchy to be in.
“Both the club and I know there is business still to be done
here at Leeds,” Harrison adds. “I quickly learned that it [failed deadline day
move] was part of the job. There is no time to dwell on it, complain or be
upset. It’s about being in the moment and right now I’m at Leeds where I can
make a difference.”
Leeds are also keen to extend Illan Meslier and Robin Koch’s
stays at Elland Road with new contracts before the start of next season.