Archie Gray’s departure from Leeds United to join Tottenham left Elland Road fans heartbroken earlier on in the summer, but Eddie Gray has shared why his great nephew chose to make the move.
Rewind a couple of months at the start of the transfer window and Leeds were forced to cash in on a big-name player in order to raise funds. Profit & Sustainability Rules had left Leeds worried about a penalty.
It was likely that had there been an offer on the table for another player at Leeds alongside Gray, then the 18-year-old England U21 man would never have been sold but unfortunately for Leeds, it wasn’t the case.
Gray was sold for a big fee of £40m and it also allowed Leeds to sign Joe Rodon. So as the dust settles, it was probably a move Leeds had to make given it saved a possible points deduction and saw Rodon join.
Ange Postecoglou a key factor in Gray choosing Tottenham
It is well-documented that Thorp Arch academy product Gray initially traveled to Brentford before moving to Spurs. It came after Aston Villa had held talks a week prior to sign Gray from Daniel Farke’s Leeds side.
But he ended up at Tottenham and will get a chance to play in the Europa League this season. Speaking to The Daily Record, Leeds legend Eddie said great-nephew Archie chose Spurs because of Postecoglou.
“He’s working under a terrific manager. He loves the manager. There were a few teams, but meeting the manager and how he conducted himself swung it for Archie. I think he’ll do very well at Spurs,” Gray said.
What those at Tottenham have already noticed about Gray
Gray has featured in two of Tottenham’s three Premier League games so far, coming off the bench in a draw against Leicester and then a 4-0 win over Everton. But he remained an unused sub at Newcastle.
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As the season grows older, Gray is likely to push himself further into Tottenham’s starting side especially with Spurs playing six times in the Europa League before Christmas, the first coming on September 26.