Taylor Rockwell and Ryan Bailey discussed this past weekend’s Premier League action on a recent edition of the Total Soccer Show podcast and the pair spent some time talking about Leeds United’s Jack Harrison.
After spending the last two seasons on loan with the Whites from Manchester City, Harrison re-joined the Yorkshire-based club on loan from City prior to the start of the 2020/21 campaign, ‘with a view to a permanent move’.
The 23-year-old made his Premier League debut in Leeds’ opening game of the 2020/21 season against Liverpool, scoring one of the Whites’ goals in the 4-3 defeat.
During this recent edition of the Total Soccer Show, Bailey drew a comparison between the Leeds man and Gareth Bale, asking Rockwell if he thinks there is any logic to the belief that Harrison can be ‘the next Gareth Bale’, citing Harrison’s rise from a full-back to a winger.
The journalist replied to that question by saying: “There really is now that you mention it, not just because of the hair but because of the position, because of the tenacity and speed.
“But also, Gareth Bale, [is] deceptively huge and really difficult to knock around, so that is part of the reason why that speed is so effective.
“There’s the famous [instance] of him being knocked out of bounds by a defender, but he still stays on his feet, rides the challenge, and then beats the player to the ball.
“That does feel like a thing Jack Harrison could do – and then the control and finishing – I see what you’re saying.”
Can Jack Harrison be as good as Gareth Bale?
YES
NO
TIF Thoughts…
Harrison will be 24 years old in November and this is the same age that Bale was when he made his then-world record transfer to Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur back in 2013.
With that in mind, we feel that he would have to make great strides in order to really live up to this comparison, even if the two players share some stylistic similarities as these podcasters seem to believe, given that the £4.68m-rated winger only made his Premier League debut last weekend.
However, he did score in that game so hopefully, for Leeds fans, Harrison can build on his positive start to the 2020/21 season and show why these podcasters have compared him to Bale.