Leeds United’s signing of Luis Sinisterra has rightly garnered plenty of excitement around West Yorkshire. The Colombian winger arrived from Feyenoord during the week for around £21million after racking up 23 goals and 14 assists in 39 games across all competitions last season.
Leeds made a new winger their priority this summer, with the departure of Raphinha a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’. The Brazilian looks likely to move to either Chelsea or Barcelona this summer, filling the Elland Road coffers with up to £60million but leaving a massive hole in the Whites’ front-line.
Sinisterra’s arrival was a preemptive strike, bringing in the replacement early and avoiding the last-minute rush that comes with selling a prized asset deep into the transfer window. But while the 23-year-old will succeed Raphinha in many ways, he is not a direct replacement as has previously been stated.
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The Colombian operates most effectively on the left wing, driving inside onto his stronger right foot, and Jesse Marsch’s narrow attacking style is likely to keep him on the right. What it does mean, however, is that a new role looks set to open up for Jack Harrison, who could see himself moved across to fill the Raphinha role.
Harrison has almost always played on the left for Leeds, operating as a ‘classic’ winger by hugging the touchline and going outside the full-back onto his stronger left foot. But Marsch’s direct attacking style doesn’t use classic wingers, instead the Whites boss inverts his ‘wide’ men, instructing them to stay narrow and drive inside.
Even in the short period last season - fighting relegation and doing anything to pick up points regardless of playing style - there was a visible change to the position of the wide players, but with Raphinha dominating the right-hand side, Harrison remained on the left. Once Sinisterra gets to grips with life as a Leeds player, however, the natural progression is to move Harrison across.
The former Manchester City man has the capabilities to play as an ‘inverted’ winger - one that plays on the opposite side to his stronger foot (i.e. a left-footer on the right wing). Tight and composed control in possession and direct dribbling are two of the winger’s biggest strengths, while his narrow runs may alleviate the sometimes frustrating crosses.
Harrison’s move across to the left also levels out the competition on either side, with two players fighting for the left side - Dan James and Sinisterra - while Harrison and Crysencio Summerville can rotate on the right. Having narrow attackers further forward also opens up the channels for Marsch’s aggressive full-backs, and Harrison’s relationship with new signing Rasmus Kristensen could prove a very productive one indeed.
The Whites winger was deployed on the left against Blackpool on Thursday, but with Sinisterra travelling to Australia, a clearer picture of Harrison’s role will become more evident down under. The Whites play Brisbane Roar on Thursday, followed by games against Premier League rivals Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
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