Yorkshire Evening Post

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Leeds United sold the former Elland Road star over the summer.

Leeds United were ‘heartbroken’ to sell Archie Gray over the summer as he pursued a move to the Premier League. The 18-year-old is one of the most exciting young talents in the country and new manager Ange Postecoglou was full of praise for him after Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League win over Ferencváros.

Gray has started both of Spurs’ European fixtures so far and has showcased his impressive versatility. After featuring at right-back against Qarabag, Postecoglou deployed him at centre-back in the first half in Hungary, before moving him to left-back after the break. Despite primarily being a midfielder, Gray continues to show how easily he can slot into a number of positions. It was something he regularly did in his breakthrough season for the Whites, as he was deployed at right-back and in central midfield by Daniel Farke.

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“I thought Archie was brilliant today. We asked him to play in two different positions and it's incredible how he just adjusts and he's able to bring his game to wherever we put him,” the Tottenham boss told football.london.

“I felt like we were starting to get on top and stronger. Archie has got a great capacity to run, and I thought putting him at left-back, he would be able to get forward for us more, and Ben [Davies] with his ability to defend and his left-foot meant he could get the ball out to the left side.

“I just wanted to use Archie’s energy, as much as anything. He did a good job for us first half but I just felt in the second half we could put them under more pressure if we had somebody on the left-hand side in the same way as the right-hand side who could get forward and get back. I thought he did that really well. In his first run he ran the whole pitch. It helped us balance our attacks on both sides.”

After interest from several clubs over the summer, Gray signed for Spurs in a £40 million deal. Leeds released a statement expressing the ‘heartbreak’ to see a homegrown talent leave Elland Road but stressed how the sale helped provide funds to ‘improve the club’s chance to compete for automatic promotion’.

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Leeds are currently fifth in the Championship table but just three points behind Sunderland at the top of the tree. Meanwhile, Tottenham are eighth in the Premier League and looking to push further up the table as the season goes on.

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Your round-up of the latest Leeds United stories as Saturday’s Championship clash against Coventry City edges closer.

Leeds United have the chance to cement their early promotion credentials when they host Coventry City at Elland Road on Saturday. Daniel Farke’s men returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory at 10-man Cardiff City last weekend - their third win in four - and can climb further up the table with three more points.

Farke confirmed on Thursday that he will be without Manor Solomon, Dan James and Max Wober this weekend while there are question marks over the availability of Pascal Struijk. Coventry City have a few injury problems of their own and have struggled to get going thus far, and the YEP has rounded up some of the latest stories from Elland Road in the meantime.

Raphinha interest

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Tottenham Hotspur have emerged as the latest Premier League club to be linked with former Leeds star Raphinha. Fabrizio Romano claims the north London club have ‘always appreciated’ Raphinha, who was heavily linked with a move away from Barcelona all summer with reports suggesting he could cost £85million.

Raphinha left Leeds for Barcelona in 2022 and has cemented himself as a key player under new manager Hansi Flick, who handed him the captain’s armband recently in Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s absence. But financial issues at Camp Nou mean most players have a price and Spurs have joined the long list of admirers.

“Raphinha has always been attractive to several clubs, not only in Europe, when Barcelona signed him from Leeds there was interest from Chelsea and interest from Arsenal,” Romano told his YouTube channel. “He’s always been a player of interest for Tottenham, they have always appreciated him.”

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Wober twist

Max Wober was reportedly of interest to Premier League outfit Wolves towards the end of the summer transfer window. GiveMeSport claim Molineux recruitment chiefs were keen on Wober but found themselves ‘unable to stump up the cash’ for the Leeds defender.

Wober’s future remained uncertain throughout the summer, with the Austrian not publicly commenting on his stance until after the transfer window closed. A return to loan club Borussia Monchengladbach always seemed a feint possibility but it seems another option was on the cards.

Wolves boss Gary O’Neil wanted defensive additions after losing Max Kilman to West Ham for £40m, but the Midlands club were ‘left frustrated’ at being priced out of a move for Wober. The 26-year-old will stay at Leeds for the foreseeable but is yet to start a league game, with injury issues not helping.

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Archie Gray was handed a full Spurs debut in Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup clash at Coventry.

Archie Gray has served up big praise for one of Leeds United’s Championship rivals upon providing a Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United verdict.

Whites Academy graduate Gray was handed his first start for Spurs in Wednesday night’s third round Carabao Cup clash at Coventry City, the 18-year-old lining up at right back two months on from his £40m move from Leeds to Spurs.

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For Gray, that meant a full debut arriving against familiar opposition, the teen ace starting both of last season’s Championship clashes against the Sky Blues who took a 1-1 draw from December’s clash at Elland Road and then subjected the Whites to a 2-1 defeat in April’s contest at the CBS Arena.

Five months on, Gray found himself starting at the ground again and his side looked to be heading for a third round exit after Brandon Thomas-Asante’s strike in the 63rd minute gave the Sky Blues a 1-0 lead.

Spurs, though, ultimately squeezed through as late goals from Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson sealed a 2-1 win, after which Gray served up big praise for United’s Championship rivals Coventry as his affinity for Leeds also remained clear in recalling last season’s clashes against the Sky Blues.

"It's a difficult place to come to," Gray told Sky Sports.

"I played here last year and even at our ground last year, they always bring a tough game and there's always lots of transitions. That's the way they play and they did well in this game and the fans got behind them.

“They brought a good game to us and credit to them but we always knew that we had what it took to take it right to the end but they did very well and I thought their game plan was executed very well."

Coventry sit 14th in the early Championship table with just five points from five games played but Mark Robins’ side are rated among the main promotion contenders by the bookmakers.

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One of Leeds United’s promising academy talents is reportedly on the radar of several Premier League clubs

Leeds United make their return to Championship action this weekend as they welcome Burnley to Elland Road on Saturday afternoon in arguably their biggest test of the season so far.

The Whites are unbeaten in their opening four league games, as they recorded back-to-back wins over Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday before the international break after starting the season with draws against Portsmouth and at West Brom. The latter sit second in the table, with their only dropped points coming against Leeds.

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Daniel Farke’s full focus will be on matters on the pitch with the transfer window well behind clubs, although the rumour mill has continued to churn and one Leeds youngster is reportedly attracting interest from several Premier League clubs. Harry Gray, the younger brother of Archie, is of interest to Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle United claims TBR Football. The 15-year-old, who turns 16 next month, scored eight goals in 11 appearances in the Under-18 Premier League last term.

His older brother Archie made the move to Spurs during the summer as a £40m deal was agreed between Leeds and the North London club. Harry Gray is unable to sign professional terms at Leeds until he turns 17 in October 2025 but, like Archie, has strong connections to Leeds through his family.

The pair’s father Andy Gray played for Leeds while their grandfather Frank Gray was part of the Leeds side that won the First Division with the Whites in 1974. Their uncle is Leeds legend Eddie Gray, who the First Division twice and an FA Cup and League Cup while playing for the club. Speaking earlier this year, Archie Gray admitted he had hopes of playing alongside his brother one day and backed his sibling to make the senior side at Elland Road.

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“He’s a good player, I don’t want to say too much,” Archie told Sky Sports in March while still at Leeds. “He’ll get big headed. If he keeps training hard I’m sure he’ll be doing what I’m doing. I’d love to play with him one day, it would be like Eddie and Frank again.”

Leeds supporters got a first glance of Harry Gray during pre-season after Farke named the player on the bench before bringing him on for the final 15 minutes in a pre-season victory over League Two Harrogate Town. Given his brother Archie’s progress into the senior side last season, Harry has seen the pathway that is there at Elland Road for the club’s academy stars.

Leeds would be understandably be resistant to approaches for Harry Gray. However, he is not yet under professional terms. Transfers of minors are regulated by football’s governing body FIFA and must meet specific requirements, including consent by the player’s parent(s) or legal guardian. By way of a transfer fee, clubs receive a compensation payment for their role in the training and development of the young player.

Manchester City swooped for attacking midfielder Finlay Gorman last season, who was born in 2008, with the Premier League champions paying a seven-figure compensation fee to Leeds.

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Former Leeds United defender Djed Spence has been left out of Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham Hotspur squad for the UEFA Europa League group stage.

Spurs were forced to reduce their available squad size to 23 players as the club did not comply meet UEFA's homegrown and as a result have elected to leave out ex-Elland Road loanee Spence and Spanish defender Sergio Reguilon.

Archie Gray, on the other hand, has been registered in the 23-man group and is forecast to feature regularly in European competition this season due to the gruelling schedule Spurs' first XI will be subjected to, as well as the limited full-back options now available to Postecoglou.

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Spence's loan deal at Leeds was cut short last season with Daniel Farke preferring to entrust Archie Gray and Sam Byram with starting responsibilities at right-back, after just a handful of appearances by the ex-Middlesbrough defender.

The 24-year-old can be registered in the squad at a later date, should Spurs progress beyond the group stage, however the club's decision to omit Spence suggests he is not as highly thought of compared to other wide defensive options in Postecoglou's squad, despite returning to the frame this summer.

Eighteen-year-old Gray was an unused substitute as Spurs lost 2-1 to Newcastle United at St James' Park last weekend and joins up with England's Under-21 setup thsi week. He has so far appeared off the bench in Premier League games against Leicester City and Everton but is expected to feature more prominently on international duty, as well as in the weeks to come when Spurs take on their Europa League opponents.

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Your round-up of the Leeds United stories going into the September international break.

The Championship season may feel like it’s only just getting started but the September international break means there will be no second-tier football this weekend. Leeds United fans can at least enjoy the weekend off knowing their side remain unbeaten in the league, having beaten Hull City 2-0 on Saturday thanks to goals from Mateo Joseph and Joel Piroe. A second straight win against Yorkshire rivals has left Daniel Farke’s side in fourth, with eight points from their opening four fixtures.

A number of Leeds players won’t be enjoying time off, however, with a host of stars jetting off to represent their respective countries across the globe. Whites fans will certainly have an eye on Wales, with extra attention now on the likes of Japan, Israel and the Dominican Republic, among others. With all that in mind, the YEP has rounded up some of the latest stories surrounding the club during the break.

Solomon verdict

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Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Jamie O’Hara believes Leeds have got a ‘good player’ in Manor Solomon, who impressed on his debut over the weekend. Solomon arrived on a season-long loan from Premier League outfit Spurs last week and was thrown straight into the action, starting in place of the injured Dan James for Saturday’s Championship clash against Hull City.

The 25-year-old showed his top-flight quality with some brilliant moments of skill and even got off the mark for assists, twisting and turning down the left-wing before whipping in a brilliant cross for Joseph to open up the scoring. It was an impressive debut for Solomon, who looks set to play a major role in Leeds’ promotion push, and O’Hara is impressed with the signing.

“You got Solomon from Spurs didn’t you?” O’Hara asked a Leeds fan on talkSPORT. “He’s alright, I liked him. He’s a good player, he’s good.” Solomon has been called up to represent Israel during this international break, with fixtures against Belgium and Italy on the cards.

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Billing latest

Leeds summer target Philip Billing could still secure a move away from Bournemouth with reports of interest from Turkey. Gune Bakis reports that Trabzonspor and Galatasaray are both eyeing late moves for the midfielder, with their transfer window open until Friday, September 13.

Billing was of interest to Leeds this summer as Farke eyed midfield reinforcements, although there was an understanding the 28-year-old would not be keen on dropping into the Championship. Sheffield United and Burnley had also been linked but Cherries boss Andoni Iraola stressed his desire to keep his player and it seemed that would be the case after last week’s deadline.

But Turkish clubs can still do business and two of the Super Lig’s leading sides look to have an eye on Billing. It remains to be seen whether a move will go ahead, but Leeds looked elsewhere quickly last week and eventually secured a £3.5m move for Ao Tanaka.

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Leeds United confirmed a major piece of post-deadline day business on Saturday

Ex-Tottenham Hotspur & Aston Villa star Darren Bent has hailed Leeds United for securing a new contract for star forward Willy Gnonto. The summer transfer window saw a number of players leave Elland Road with the likes of Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter all departing on big-money deals.

Gnonto was strongly linked with a move away from West Yorkshire 12 months ago after being pursued by Everton and the Italian even handed in a transfer request in a bid to force through a Premier League move. However, he later withdrew that request after talks with manager Daniel Farke and quickly re-established his importance within the squad. That importance has only been heightened this summer with Summerville and Rutter departing from the Whites forward line.

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The 20-year-old’s previous deal was set to expire in the summer of 2027 but his new contract will see him remain at Leeds for an extra 12 months and in news that will reassure fans the YEP can confirm that the new deal contains no exit clauses. He first arrived on deadline day in the summer of 2022, after a £4m deal was agreed with Swiss side FC Zurich.

Bent feels that Leeds have the quality to push for promotion yet again after reaching the Championship play-off final last season and he hailed Gnonto’s new deal as ‘big’ following some of the departures from the club over the summer.

“Now they’ve got the players that have left out of their systems, I know for Leeds fans, Archie Gray, that was the one that hurt the most. [Crysencio] Summerville leaving, Gnonto signing a new contract by the way - that’s big,” said Bent on talkSPORT.

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“But I just think with Leeds if they can continually pick up results with the squad that they’ve got, I’m not saying they’ve got one of the best squads in the Championship but certainly they’ve got quality and they can certainly have a push.”

Leeds sit fourth in the table after four matches after drawing two and winning two of their opening fixtures. Only Watford, West Brom and Sunderland have a better record so far with the Black Cats topping the table as they only side to win all of their matches. Blackburn are level on points with Leeds but the Whites have a better goal difference after three-straight clean sheets.

Leeds face a crunch next two months as they host Burnley in their first game after the international break while they travel to Cardiff City before welcoming Coventry City to Elland Road before the end of the month. In October Farke’s side face back-to-back away games against Norwich City and Sunderland before home games with Sheffield United and Watford after the October international break in a run of games that will certainly test the Whites’ promotion credentials.

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Leeds United say the season-long loan signing of Manor Solomon from Tottenham Hotspur is a reward for their 'patient' summer transfer window strategy.

The Whites have made the 25-year-old the first of what they hope will be at least a trio of signings in the final week of the window before Friday night's deadline, and claim they warded off interest in the attacker from European top-flight sides.

Leeds' summer recruitment drive has been, to date, a slow build. A full month passed between the £5m transfer of Jayden Bogle and last week's £10m capture of Largie Ramazani from UD Almería. But Leeds insist their plan has been to wait for the right calibre of player to become available at the end of the window, to complete Daniel Farke's squad.

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A club statement said: "Leeds United are pleased to announce the arrival of Manor Solomon from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. The 25-year-old moves to Elland Road from North London, joining the Whites on a season-long loan deal. Beating off competition from a number of top-flight sides across Europe for his signature, the deliberate strategy of remaining patient in the transfer window has paid dividends, with the club able to act quickly to secure the services of a player who only became available in recent days."

Leeds have described Solomon, an Israeli international, as a 'tricky attacker who can play through the middle or on the wing,' and he is expected to be one of Farke's options for the number 10 role, along with Ramazani, Willy Gnonto and Brenden Aaronson. But the Whites' interest in Roland Sallai, a starter for Hungary at EURO 2024, remains and they could still attempt to prise him from SC Freiburg this week. Sallai has more experience of playing through the middle in attacking midfield, but like Solomon can ply his trade on either flank.

Leeds are still in the market for a full-back and central midfielder and want to bolster Farke's squad with at least those two additions before the deadline passes. Max Aarons at Bournemouth is on the list of full-back targets, while Leeds have had a bid for Gustavo Hamer turned down by Sheffield United and have been unable to come to terms with FC Koln for Dejan Ljubicic.

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Leeds United are closing in on the loan signing of Manor Solomon from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.

The Israeli international is expected to undergo a medical at Leeds this weekend with a view to signing a season-long loan deal at Elland Road.

Solomon has been deemed surplus to requirements since arriving at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk but previously excelled during a loan spell with Fulham.

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The YEP understands Leeds will cover a significant portion of Solomon’s wages during his time at the club, provided all goes to plan with medical tests and health checks in the coming days.

As reported by transfers journalist Fabrizio Romano, Solomon’s preference had been to remain in England and is said to have rejected an approach made by LaLiga outfit Getafe.

It follows Largie Ramazani’s arrival from Spanish club Almeria for a fee worth up to £10 million.

Daniel Farke said following his side’s 2-0 victory against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday evening that he had ‘made it clear’ Leeds needed additional, experienced players to come in before the transfer deadline if the club wants to be ambitious this season.

Solomon typically plays as a left-sided attacker and has managed four goals in 24 Premier League appearances, whilst averaging a goal every four-or-so games whilst in Ukraine with Shakhtar. The player has UEFA Champions League and Europa League experience, whilst also winning 37 caps for his country, in which he has scored seven times.

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Tottenham Hotspur attacker Manor Solomon is on Leeds United's long list as they plot for further additions to Daniel Farke's squad.

The Whites are closing in on the £10m capture of winger Largie Ramazani from Almería following the Spanish side's relegation from La Liga last season. A medical was booked for this morning and a hastily-deleted social media image on the account of Ramazani's brother Diamant showed the Belgian attacker in club training gear at Thorp Arch. Ramazani is seen as a replacement for Crysencio Summerville, who was bought by West Ham United for a fee in excess of £25m.

But Farke has made it clear he needs more than one attacker to complete his squad, with the £40m sale of Georginio Rutter leaving the manager with a particularly difficult void to fill in the starting line-up. The YEP understands Israeli international forward Solomon is among those Leeds like. Most of his football has been played on the flanks in a career that has taken him from Maccabi Petah Tikva to Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine and then to Spurs, after a loan spell with Fulham. But Solomon has also featured in a central attacking role on 20 occasions. The 25-year-old has 37 caps and seven goals for his country and after a knee-injury-hit 2023/24 campaign he has been made available by Spurs. Reports suggest the attacker's preference is to stay in England and with a contract at Tottenham that runs to 2028, a loan would feel most likely.

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Another of the players Leeds have been monitoring is Hungary's EURO 24 participant Roland Sallai. The Freiburg man's availability has changed in recent weeks, though he is expected to have offers that would at least rival any proposition Leeds could make.

At present Farke has some versatility to play with when it comes to his forward line and Ramazani's arrival might allow the German to move Willy Gnonto or Brenden Aaronson into a central role, but Rutter's emergence as the squad's most natural number 10 option last season showed how important the position is to Leeds' system. Rutter's problem solving, ability to find space and split defences and his exceptional ball-carrying skills often took the Whites into opposition territory from deep-lying positions and turned safe-looking possession into attacking threat.

Gnonto has shown a tendency to cause problems when he roams around the front line and pulls centrally, while Aaronson is more likely to be found inside than hugging the touchline. Farke has used Joel Piroe at 10 and preferred the Dutchman to Rutter in the role for the first part of last season until the latter's ability to look after the ball improved. But Piroe is yet to make the position his own and has not been able to look at home or excel in the same way that Rutter did before his £40m move to Brighton.

Leeds are also in the market for a full-back and central midfielder, with Austrian international Dejan Ljubicic still a possibility. The 26-year-old has just one year remaining on his contract with Bundesliga side FC Koln but the situation is made more complicated by a transfer embargo hindering their ability to replace Ljubicic should he be allowed to depart. Leeds' initial bid earlier this summer was knocked back but he is said to be pushing for an exit.