West Ham could open the door for Leeds to sign ‘top player’ in January

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Back in July, West Ham United youngster Harrison Ashby made no secret about his desire to make the 2022/23 season his breakthrough campaign on the Premier League stage. After playing just six minutes of top-flight football last term, the Scotland U21 international was ready to kick on and give Vladimir Coufal, Ben Johnson and co a reason to glance over their shoulders.

“It’s a huge privilege that they’ve given me the opportunity to train with (the first-team),” Ashby, described as a ‘top player’ by former U23 coach Dimitri Halajko, told the Hammers’ official website a couple of months ago.  

“I think I’ve done well. And I’m really glad that I’ve been able to push hard to get myself in and around the first-team again.

“The aim is to push myself into the first-team and battle with the right-backs that are currently ahead of me. I want to push myself on, push them on, and battle to win the spot in the team.” 

Could West Ham’s Harrison Ashby still end up at Leeds United?

Now, things could still change of course, but Ashby’s season is not exactly going the way he’d planned. He hasn’t played even a second of Premier League action. While recent injury problems haven’t helped, Ashby is clearly still a distant third in David Moyes’ pecking order; his only first-team exposure thus far coming against Viborg in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers. 

And amid suggestions that West Ham could renew their interest in the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka or Ola Aina in the New Year – they failed with a £6 million deadline-day bid for the latter – things could get worse before they get better for Ashby. 

So presuming Leeds United come calling for the one-time Chelsea starlet again in a couple of months – The Sun claiming that Jesse Marsch’s side are ‘expected to return’ – Ashby will have a difficult decision to make as his West Ham contract runs down. 

First-team football is hardly guaranteed at Elland Road either. Rasmus Kristensen arrived from Red Bull Salzburg over the summer. Jesse Marsch still has Luke Ayling and Cody Drameh at his disposal too. But with Ashby seemingly fighting a losing battle at West Ham, maybe it’s time for a new fight elsewhere.