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Jack Harrison became Sean Dyche’s fourth signing of the summer transfer window when he completed a season-long loan deal to join the Blues from Leeds United in August 2023.
Born in Stoke-on-Trent, the winger spent five seasons at Elland Road between 2018 and 2023 and was an important part of Leeds’ promotion to the Premier League, after they won the EFL Championship in 2020.
During his time in Yorkshire, the 26-year-old made at least 35 league appearances in each of his five seasons, registering 34 goals and 32 assists in 206 games across all competitions.
Last season, Harrison was Leeds’ joint-highest scorer, with five goals, while also providing seven assists (the most for a Leeds player) in 36 Premier League games.
In terms of minutes, his 2,708 was the third highest at the club, and the second most for an outfield player.
No Leeds player featured in more Premier League games during the past three seasons than Harrison, who missed just seven of the 114 total matches. During those campaigns, his 37 goal contributions (21 goals and 16 assists) was the most for any Leeds player.
Over those three years, only nine Premier League players created more chances from open play than Harrison (125).
In that same period, just seven players managed more combined assists (16) or created more overall chances on goal (156), while Harrison was also Leeds’ most prolific dribbler and crosser during their time in the English top-flight.
Combining an attacking threat with an off-the-ball intensity, only Dwight McNeil and Trent Alexander-Arnold won possession more inside the final third over Harrison’s three Premier League seasons. He ranks in the top five per cent for tackles in the attacking third by wingers in Europe’s top five leagues.
A hard-working creative player, Harrison began his career in America, after leaving Manchester United’s academy aged just 14 to attend Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts. While at the school, he represented their affiliated team, Black Rock FC.
A talented teenager, Harrison was the National Player of the Year for high-school soccer in 2015.
He went on to play college soccer for Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he scored eight goals and recorded 11 assists in 22 appearances during the 2015 NCAA Division 1 season.
Harrison entered the 2016 MLS SuperDraft as the youngest available player. He was selected as the number one overall pick by Chicago Fire, who decided to make a lucrative trade with New York City, sending Harrison to the East Coast in return for New York’s number four pick, plus allocation money.
An impressive debut season in Major League Soccer saw Harrison play alongside all-time greats Andrea Pirlo, Frank Lampard and David Villa. He earned the league’s Rookie of the Year Award, while also finishing runner-up for the 2016 MLS Goal of the Year award.
The following season was his final in MLS. In January 2018, he signed for Manchester City, and, while at the club, Harrison enjoyed several loan spells including Middlesbrough in February 2018.
July of the same year saw Harrison sign for Leeds on a season-long loan, where he made 37 Championship appearances, helping Marcelo Bielsa’s side to reach the play-offs.
After impressing in his first season, Harrison returned to Leeds on another season-long loan in July 2019; the campaign when Leeds finished top of the Championship table to earn Premier League promotion.
An important part of Bielsa’s hard-working side, Harrison featured in all 46 league matches, providing the third-most goal contributions for the Whites, with six goals and eight assists.
In August 2020, he joined Leeds for a third-successive season on loan, scoring his maiden Premier League goal and the club's first goal in the top-flight of English football for 16 years in their campaign opener against Liverpool.
Harrison’s eight goals and eight assists in 36 games made him the second-highest scorer and assister for the newly-promoted side, who would secure a ninth-placed finish.
Leeds finally signed Harrison permanently in July 2021 and the winger netted his first senior hat-trick during the 2021/22 campaign. He made 35 appearances, bagging eight goals, which included a stoppage-time winner at Brentford to keep Leeds in the Premier League.
The 2022/23 season saw Harrison feature in 36 Premier League games, registering seven assists – the most for any Leeds player.
The campaign was Harrison’s last before joining Everton on loan in August 2023.
