Football League World

Carlton Palmer has warned Leeds United about the competition they will face if they move to re-sign Archie Gray on loan from Tottenham in January.

GIVEMESPORT has reported that Tottenham Hotspur are bracing themselves for serious interest in Archie Gray during January, with the Thorp Arch product struggling for game time under Ange Postecoglou, and there are thought to be suitors in both the Championship and Premier League.

Gray made the move to Tottenham in August after a successful breakthrough season with Leeds warranted the youngster's £30 million transfer to the Premier League side.

The former Whites gem did play 90 minutes against Manchester City in Spurs' 2-1 triumph over the Premier League champions in the Carabao Cup but first-team opportunities have been hard to come by.

Carlton Palmer warns Leeds United will face Archie Gray competition

Palmer - a former Whites midfielder himself - has told FLW that Gray would be a good signing for the Yorkshire club but warned them that they may struggle to get a deal done given the likely competition.

"Tottenham are bracing themselves for a host of clubs to test the waters in regard to taking Archie Gray on loan," he said.

"There's talk of Premier League clubs and Championship clubs who would be interested in taking him in on loan. Gray is still well thought of by Postecoglu. He sees the 18-year-old as a very shrewd bit of business, and one which will pay off in the long term.

"He's highly rated, but his game time has been affected, he hasn't had enough game time. He has only played 393 minutes of action in all competitions so far this season, so the question remains, will they let him go out on loan?

"If they do let him go, Leeds may have just missed out on his return with Premier League clubs interested. It would be a great bit of business if they could pull it off, but there will be lots of competition for the midfielder.

"I don't think he'd want to go to the likes of Southampton, who are struggling, maybe Leicester City, who are just outside the drop.

"I think it would be a great fit for him to return to Leeds. He's only 18, very versatile, as Leeds fans know, and he could play a major part from Christmas till the end of the season, by helping them get promoted back to the Premier League."

Archie Gray will be tempted by Leeds United return

Gray had an impressive impact at Elland Road last season - turning heads in his breakthrough campaign as he provided Leeds with a brilliant option at both right-back and in midfield.

His move to Spurs was warranted given his performances, many of which came at the age of just 17, and the fact he featured 52 times speaks to his huge potential.

Given their depth issues in midfield, the teenager would be a welcome addition to Farke's squad while you'd be hard-pressed to find any Leeds fan that wouldn't want to see him back at the club - even if it is only temporary.

The Whites are among the favourites for promotion in the Championship this season and re-signing Gray would certainly boost their hopes of returning to the top flight.

It's not likely to be easy given the reported Premier League interest but the player will certainly be tempted by the chance of leading his boyhood club back to the promised land.

Bazoumana Toure is swiftly emerging among the most sought-after young talents on the continent, with Leeds United, Celtic, and Tottenham Hotspur just three of the clubs reportedly in the hunt for the "unique" 18-year-old sensation.

The teenage winger has burst onto the scene and now finds himself with no shortage of suitors heading into the January transfer window, but who is the Leeds, Celtic and Spurs target?

Football League World takes a closer look...

The lowdown on Leeds, Spurs and Celtic transfer target Bazoumana Toure

The youngster is fresh off the block and has only recently begun to make his mark, and he still largely remains as something of an unknown quantity.

Toure, who hails from the Ivory Coast, joined Hammarby of the Swedish top-flight from Ivorian club ASEC Mimosas back in March for just £370,000 and has gone from strength to strength thus far in Scandinavia. The teenager was only rewarded with his first start for the club in May, where he made an assist in a 2-1 victory over IFK Norrkoping - and he hasn't looked back since.

His form has routinely turned heads for Hammarby, who find themselves second in the Allsvenskan table with two games to play.

Toure is also represented by globally renowned agency Unique Sports Group, whose top clients include the likes of Anthony Gordon and Reece James.

With that in mind, it would be no real surprise to see Toure eyeing a move to the Premier League in the not-too-distant future.

Leeds, Celtic and Spurs' transfer interest in Bazoumana Toure

According to a recent report from TBR Football, Toure is attracting significant interest from a wide range of domestic outfits.

The report exclusively claims that up to a dozen British clubs attended Hammarby's most recent outing at Sirius, where Toure bagged a brace to take his tally up to eight for the season.

It's reported that Newcastle, Aston Villa, Spurs, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Brighton, and Wolves were all among the Premier League representatives spotted in Sweden to keep tabs on the prodigy, while the likes of Celtic and Championship duo Leeds and Sheffield United were also there.

Just how likely it is that a second-tier club such as Leeds or the Blades could actually pull off the deal remains to be seen, with Toure reportedly valued at £5 million. He's also under contract until 2028, meaning that Hammarby have plenty of security over his future.

Meanwhile, a previous report published by the Mirror claimed that both Arsenal and Manchester United have undertaken respective scouting missions to monitor the Hammarby star.

Make no mistake about it, there's going to be serious competition for his signature before long and Leeds, for example, may end up finding it too difficult to unlock any potential deal.

Hammarby rate Bazoumana Toure extremely highly amid transfer race

As evidenced in his reported valuation, Hammarby rate the young flyer extremely highly, leading to club figures lauding his talents to the media.

Last month, sporting director Mikael Hjelmberg explained: "There are a lot of clubs coming to the match against Hacken. We need to plan for a future without him.

"Then if it happens this winter, next summer or even further than that – I don’t think so, we’ll see. But the longer we get to keep him the better."

Toure has also been hailed by Hammarby manager Kim Hellberg, who labelled the star as a "unique talent" with the potential to go right to the very top in his career.

Hellberg said of Toure: "I think he can play at the highest level possible. I don’t see why he shouldn’t have the chance to get there. There have been many players who have had the opportunity to get there but have not taken that route.

"He is unique in the way he learns things and picks things up. Now he scored two goals on his head… and we have worked so much on how he should get into the box and how he should position himself to create advantages linked to the fact that he is not a big player."

Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that defender Micky van de Ven suffered a hamstring injury in Tottenham Hotspur's 2-1 EFL Cup victory over Manchester City.

It's a rarity to see Pep Guardiola's side lose a game of football. Their defeat against Spurs on Wednesday evening was the first time that they had come out on the wrong end of a result this season, and it was only their second loss of the calendar year in regular time.

As Postecoglou tries to live up to the expectations that he set for himself of winning a trophy of some sort in his second season, as he has done everywhere else he's been, this was a big step towards ending the club's 16-plus year wait for a piece of silverware.

Spurs got off to a flying start, hurting City on the counter-attack inside the first five minutes thanks to some lovely play by their forwards. Timo Werner was there to finish off the flowing move, restoring some of his confidence in front of goal.

He could have doubled their advantage around 10 minutes later following a sloppy pass from İlkay Gündoğan, but the German failed to convert.

Luckily for him and his teammates, that second goal did come when Pape Matar Sarr sweetly struck the end result of a short-corner routine from about eight yards outside of the box around the City defenders and into the near post.

But then, just on the stroke of half-time, City got themselves back in it. Matheus Nunes was free at the far post for Savinho to find. The centre-mid made no mistake with his finish, and the teams went into half-time at 2-1, and that is how it would stay for the rest of the game as Spurs progressed to the last eight.

After his side's momentous victory, the Australian manager confirmed that a hamstring injury, which occurred when making a sliding challenge to clear the ball from Savinho's feet, was the reason for his early withdrawal from the game, in the 14th minute.

"Micky felt something in his hamstring," said Postecoglou, via the Standard.

"I haven't got the full update on him but he definitely felt something and we'll see how he is."

It was a contest that wasn't short of fitness issues. Savinho had to be stretchered off in the second half after seemingly hurting his ankle, and Manuel Akanji, who was supposed to start the match, was forced to withdraw before kick-off due to a calf issue. Guardiola believes that he now has just 13 fit players to work with and stated that they are "in trouble".

What will make the news of Van de Ven's injury more of a concern for Spurs, other than his visibly upset reaction, is that he suffered a similar injury at around the same point of last season which kept him out for two months.

Spurs should be worried by Micky van de Ven's hamstring issues

It's an unfortunate, sad reality that sometimes players like the Dutchman, who have incredible explosive abilities, are more at risk of picking up these types of injuries.

That's now two in the space of roughly a year for the 23-year-old, and hamstring problems can not go away for many players; they can be like a plague.

Spurs need to do all they can to make sure that his hamstring is fit and healthy before bringing him back into the fold. Luckily, this time they have a capable stand-in in Radu Dragusin, unlike last season where their options after van de Ven were less encouraging.

Postecoglou, the medical team and everyone else associated with Tottenham will be crossing their fingers, wishing for this to not be a reoccurring theme of van de Ven's Spurs career.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Ashley Phillips has quickly become a name to watch in English football, with the giant defender currently on loan at Stoke City from Tottenham Hotspur in the Championship.

He has not been utilised perhaps as much as either he or his parent club would have hoped thus far, with just four appearances for his new club. He started in three of those, but has been an unused substitute in six Championship fixtures already by Stoke.

However, the young centre-back has still shown promising signs of immense potential despite his limited experience. Phillips first made his mark at Blackburn Rovers, coming through their academy and earning his senior debut at just 17.

He is viewed as one for the future by Spurs, who took a chance on him at a very young age, with the 19-year-old spending his time this season on loan with Plymouth Argyle last season to help secure their place in the second tier.

He impressed in flashes, though he is still developing. Phillips has the raw attributes to become a standout defender if he continues to impress in the Championship. A Premier League return with Tottenham could be on the cards sooner than expected if he does.

The Stoke City view on Ashley Phillips' loan from Tottenham

Phillips’ future looks bright, with this loan spell likely to be crucial in his development, but his lack of action may be of concern to figures at Spurs and Stoke. We asked FLW's Stoke fan pundit Sam Harrison for his thoughts on who the player is that is not starting games often, but who ought to be playing more regularly, and his answer was Phillips.

He said: "One of the only players who I can think of in terms of someone who has maybe not had as many games as he maybe wants or what his parent club wants, but who is going to get his chance and has kind of been unlucky with how the games have gone and players being back is Ashley Phillips.

"It's not a case of him being shut out, it's in terms of personnel. Others have suited games more than him.

"Of course, on loan from Tottenham. Obviously, it's going to have to play games as that is the whole reason and purpose of the loan move.

"But I think the timing of Michael Rose has come back and has had an impact. The defensive back four and how we have gone about games with having more experience and the good run of fixtures we've just had.

"He did then start against Sheffield United in a back five. So, if we did then continue with a back five, then of course, he will be in the team.

"I do think, even in a back four, playing alongside either Rose or [Ben] Gibson, then I think he would look good. I think he's someone that has got a lot of potential.

"I think he's just got unlucky with it all. I don't think it's anything personal against him. He's a very good player and one that, hopefully, we can see a lot more of in the red and white stripes of the Potters.

"I do think it's the way things have gone and is nothing against him by the looks of it. Of course, a managerial change as well, during his loan spell at the club.

"He's the only one I can think of who has not really been starting too many games of late, but I do still expect he'll be in the line-up a number of times coming up now.

"You've got midweek games and cup games as well; Southampton in the cup where I reckon he'll start that as well."

Ashley Phillips' future and potential

Phillips is a defender who evidently has an extremely high ceiling, but needs regular game time and refinement to get there, albeit that is not being handed to him at present with Stoke.

It's also not yet clear what his ball-playing qualities are like in a higher possession-based team, which Spurs will hope to see at some stage in the next couple of seasons; but his physicality, speed, and aggressive defending style are all impressive for someone so young.

Only 19 in the summer, the 6'4" defender has the front-footed style and combative nature to battle it out with some of the most physical Championship centre-forwards.

Things may have to change soon, though. Spurs need to get the Blackburn Rovers academy product the required game time to learn and develop in a top Championship side, which Narcis Pelach has only recently started to grant after the weekend loss to Sheffield United.

Ange Postecoglou has provided an update on Son Heung-Min's fitness ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s EFL Cup clash with Manchester City.

The forward was absent for Spurs’ 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon, having also missed their midweek 1-0 win over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on Thursday.

The South Korea international picked up an injury in their European clash against Qarabag, but had featured in their 4-1 win over West Ham earlier this month.

However, a return to the sidelines in the last week has raised questions over his immediate fitness.

Spurs take on Man City on Wednesday at home in the fourth round of the EFL Cup, where supporters will be hoping to see the 32-year-old back in action.

Postecoglou has indicated that Son could be back in the side for Wednesday night, suggesting that he is planned to return to full fitness imminently.

It remains to be seen whether the Australian will opt to choose his talismanic attacker on Wednesday night, with considerations needing to be made for Sunday’s upcoming league clash with Aston Villa.

“It's not really a hamstring injury, but he was out for a while and wasn't feeling right after the last game, so we're just being conservative with him," said Postecoglou, via the club’s official website.

"All things being well, he should be alright for next week.

“He seems to be progressing well so, hopefully, he’ll be available for one of the games.”

Tottenham will be aiming to reach the EFL Cup quarter-finals, which they last qualified for during the 2022-23 campaign.

Spurs have won the EFL Cup four times, with their last victory in the competition coming in 2008 under Juande Ramos.

Meanwhile, Man City have won the trophy eight times, including four times under Pep Guardiola.

Pep Guardiola provides Man City team selection hint

Guardiola has hinted that he will be opting for a second-choice starting lineup for City’s trip to Spurs on Wednesday.

The Catalan has claimed that he is not willing to take any fitness risks against Tottenham, with his eyes firmly on upcoming games against Bournemouth, Sporting Clube de Lisbon and Brighton.

"We are going there to compete but the main target is Bournemouth, Sporting and Brighton before the international break,” said Guardiola, via the Manchester Evening News.

“We are not going to take a decision… if the players are fine they are going to play against Spurs but if they have doubts I'm not going to take a risk against Spurs, that's for sure."

The two sides will meet on Wednesday night in London for an 8.15pm kick-off.

Son return will be a huge boost for Spurs

Son has been Tottenham’s best player under Postecoglou, and is crucial to their attacking threat.

The 32-year-old is their talisman, and will be needed if they are to get a result against City, even if Guardiola is planning to rotate heavily.

Having him back will also be a boost to their league campaign, which took a dent on Sunday with their defeat to Palace.

If results continue to underwhelm, and a chance at silverware goes begging on Wednesday night, then pressure will begin to mount on the 59-year-old.

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke believes that Tottenham Hotspur loanee Manor Solomon needs to relax a bit on the pitch in order to refind the form he had prior to his hamstring injury.

Saturday was a frustrating day for Leeds. They travelled to an emotional Ashton Gate to face Bristol City, who were welcoming back their boss Liam Manning after he took a leave of absence from the club following the passing of his young son, Theo.

The Robins were able to hold off the visitors, with the game ending 0-0, and earned a strong point for their boss, while his opposite number was left feeling irked by his side's inability to find the back of the net.

A number of players can take responsibility for Leeds' inability to score on Saturday. Dan James and Wilfried Gnonto both had good chances to score but failed to do so, as did substitute Mateo Joseph.

The Spanish forward wasn't the only man brought on with the hope that they could change the game. Patrick Bamford and Solomon were also introduced later on in the game, but the Whites still couldn't find a breakthrough, with the Israeli international looking particularly off it.

Daniel Farke's Manor Solomon claim

In the wake of the game, Farke said that he wants Solomon to relax when he goes on the pitch, and claimed that he can sometimes try to do too much in his pursuit to help the team rather than doing the simple things.

The German used a condiment-based analogy to summarise his thoughts on the Spurs loanee's substitute display on Saturday. "Sometimes like a bottle of ketchup, you shake it and you want it too much and all of a sudden it happens," said Farke, via Leeds Live.

"When he first came he played with so much confidence, rhythm and so much confidence, then the injury stopped him from going on international duty and he has to do his rehab.

"Such a proud player to play for his national team, it was a sucker punch for him. He worked so hard to come back and the feeling is of course he can't be there with 100 per cent, he needs a bit of time.

"He works so hard in training and he always adds some additional stuff in training and in the game. He wants it so much. So sometimes you want him to relax a bit. Play a bit less complicated and it will come.

"We're fully convinced of his quality. Out of good intention he forces it a bit too much. You don’t have to prove what a good player you are, do what you've done your whole career and your quality will shine.

"I'm pretty sure it will happen soon. Keep in mind a bottle of ketchup."

Leeds need Manor Solomon to rediscover his old self

Hamstring injuries are often the most hampering injuries, long-term, in football. You just can't quite open up your legs and be fully mobile when you have a problem there. So, even though he is now fit again after recovering from that type of knock, this could explain why he hasn't hit the ground running again straight away.

Of course the Whites will need to be patient with him, as Farke alluded to, but with Largie Ramazani confirmed to be out for four to six weeks with an ankle injury, Leeds need to get Solomon back to his pre-injury self pretty quickly.

With the Belgian out for an extended period, the depth that Farke has to work with in wide attacking areas has been fairly significantly reduced. He's now without 25% of his potential starting options in this area of the pitch, while 50% of them (James and Solomon) are only just returning from absences due to fitness issues.

Former Leeds United sporting director Victor Orta is reported to have 'asked about' the availability of Archie Gray in January.

The decision to let midfield maestro Gray leave to go and join Tottenham Hotspur this summer was a bittersweet one for Leeds, but probably more bitter than sweet.

They did receive in the region of £40 million for the 18-year-old, and it helped them to secure the return of loanee Joe Rodon on a permanent basis, but it, of course, meant losing one of their prized possessions.

It was reported at the time by The Athletic that had Leeds been able to move on Crysencio Summerville, who they eventually sold to West Ham United for £25m plus add-ons, before they sold Gray, then they maybe would've been able to keep the talented teen.

Alas, Gray ended up electing to go to Spurs over Brentford, who were also in the hunt for the reigning Championship Young Player of the Season, although his ultimate preference would have been to stay at Elland Road, were that a viable option.

Since making the move to north London, the midfielder hasn't been handed a tonne of opportunities. He has started both of Spurs' Europa League games, but he is yet to make his full debut for the club in the Premier League.

This shouldn't come as much of a surprise given the fact he wasn't necessarily bought with the vision of him making an immediate impact on the team - it was a deal done with the future in mind - but he will need to keep getting regular minutes in order to develop.

Thus, a loan in January may be on the cards.

Ex-Leeds United figure Victor Orta enquires about Archie Gray availability for Sevilla

As much as Leeds could do with having their old player back right now given their midfield injury issues, there have been no reports directly linking the club with making a return move for Gray.

Instead, they are looking in the free agent market, with Christopher Kramer, Cheikhou Kouyate, Joshua Guilavogui and Francis Coquelin all being linked with moves to Leeds as short-term measures to cover Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev's injuries, although Leeds Live have said that Kouyate or Guilavogui are much more likely options than the other two.

One club that are said to be looking into the idea of getting Gray is Sevilla, whose sporting director, Orta, formerly held the same position at Elland Road.

Spanish outlet Mucho Deporte have stated that Orta is "already asking about" the availability of Gray, whose rise through the ranks at Leeds is largely credited to the former United chief by the outlet.

Sevilla currently sit 13th in La Liga after 10 matches played, but they have no European competitions to distract themselves this year after not qualifying for any competitions.

January exit from Tottenham Hotspur is unlikely for Archie Gray

As much as the thought of acquiring the 18-year-old on a short-term basis may be mouth-watering for a lot of teams, including Leeds, it seems unlikely that Spurs and Ange Postecoglou will sign off on letting him leave the club on loan in the new year.

The game-time that he seems very likely to get in European competitions will be a big reason for him, personally, to want to stay put, and also, if any more injuries pop up in the middle of Tottenham's team, then he may be primed to come in and slot into a starting spot.

Stoke City made waves by deciding to sign Peter Crouch from Tottenham Hotspur at the start of the 2011/12 Premier League campaign, and it turned out to be inspired business.

Tony Pulis' side were embarking on their fourth season in the top-flight, having finished the previous campaign in 13th position while booking their place in European competition for the first time ever after making it all the way to the 2011 FA Cup final, where they were narrowly defeated by Manchester City.

It all meant that Stoke had begun to cement themselves as a Premier League staple. They were able to take calculated risks in the transfer market and had a certain degree of pulling power, which they used to lure Crouch to the Potteries on transfer deadline day back in the summer of 2011.

Stoke City's signing of Peter Crouch from Spurs

Stoke made something of a splash at the time by making Crouch their club record signing in a £12 million deal from Tottenham Hotspur.

Crouch, who was 30 when he signed for Stoke, had already enjoyed a remarkable career, scoring 22 goals for England from just 42 caps and proving himself among the most potent and memorable strikers at Premier League level with the likes of Liverpool and Portsmouth.

It was an impressive capture there and then, make no mistake about it.

Crouch was lauded upon completing his move to the Bet 365 Stadium, with Stoke's chief executive Tony Scholes labeling the signing as a statement of intent. "These fantastic deals are a statement of this football club's intent," said Scholes.

"The club has made incredible strides forward over the past five years and to attract players of this calibre shows our ambitions as we look to continue that progress this season and beyond that."

Meanwhile, Pulis added: "There has been a real buzz of excitement around the city about where this club is going since we reached the FA Cup final and then started our Europa League adventure.

"These signings certainly add to that great sense of anticipation.

"Peter has an excellent goalscoring record at the highest level. His goals-per-games ratio for England is remarkable and he scored seven goals in 10 Champions League games for Tottenham last season, which gives you an idea of his pedigree."

Peter Crouch's Stoke City career

Crouch proved an instant hit at Stoke, hitting double digits for league goals and scoring on 14 occasions across all competitions throughout his first season with the club.

His debut campaign in the Potteries set the tone for the remainder of his career there. Crouch went on to lead the line for a number of years and proved a constant threat to opposition defenders with his aerial prowess and link-up play.

Although the towering striker never scored 10 or more Premier League goals in a single season again, he compensated for the steady decline in his output in front of goal by offering an outball and a new dimension to Stoke's attack.

He even joined the Premier League's illustrious '100 club' in February 2017. The then-36-year-old netted in a 1-1 draw at home to Everton to become the oldest player to score 100 goals in the Premier League, while emerging as only the 26th player to hit that milestone at the time.

The evergreen striker continued to flourish deep into his thirties and it was a blow for Stoke when he finally moved on at the ripe old age of 38 to join Burnley in a swap deal involving Sam Vokes in January 2019.

Crouch, who left Stoke after scoring 61 goals and making 22 assists from 261 games across an eight-year period, only spent a matter of months at Turf Moor before deciding to hang up his boots once and for all.

Teen sensation Archie Gray departed Leeds United during the summer for Tottenham Hotspur and the Premier League, despite some expectation that he would continue playing regularly with the West Yorkshire outfit.

However, that doesn't mean he has stopped speaking to some of his former Leeds teammates, with the 18-year-old revealing to the Yorkshire Evening Post that he remains close with many of the players that took Daniel Farke's side to a third place finish and the play-off final.

Gray caught the eye last season in the Championship, in what was his breakout campaign for a club he had come through the academy of. He predominantly played at right-back next to Joe Rodon at right-sided centre-back or in midfield alongside Ethan Ampadu.

He remains close to both, despite since joining Tottenham. He penned a six-year deal with Spurs, after they agreed a fee of around £40 million with the Whites for Gray, with Rodon returning to Leeds in the other direction for around £10 million on a permanent basis, having been a hugely successful loan signing last year.

The Leeds starlet ended up being one of the stories of the 2023/24 Championship campaign, making 52 appearances in all competitions for the Whites, meaning he missed just three of their games all season.

Archie Gray makes Leeds teammate admission

Speaking via the Yorkshire Evening Post, Gray has outlined the three Leeds players who he remains in close contact with since leaving the club in the summer. He also explained that he was able to say farewell to many of them at the training ground before leaving to join Tottenham.

He said: "Yeah, of course, I got to say goodbye to them all. And you know, I still speak to quite a few of them, like Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Mateo [Joseph].

"I played football with them last year, but not just that; I'm really good mates with them off the pitch as well, so keeping [those] connections with them is really important because they've got loads of experience, and it's just really good to have them as good mates."

He was particularly vocal in his praise for Joseph, with the pair coming through various age groups in Leeds' academy together. He added: "Mateo is doing brilliant. He scored a hat-trick [against Kazakhstan U-21s], I think it was last night.

"He's doing well for Leeds. We came through the ranks together since U-18s. And you know, I'm still really close with him, really good friends, and I'm always looking out for him, [and] how he's doing.

"It'd be amazing to play against him and I'd really enjoy it."

Archie Gray's potential at Tottenham Hotspur

At such a tender age, Gray is already a well-rounded player. His ability to carry the ball and his first touch is already top drawer, and he is a player that is mature beyond his years and capable of imposing himself on a game at either right-back or in his preferred central midfield role.

His versatility should be a huge plus point for Tottenham, as should his potential over the coming seasons in North London. The ability to slot into multiple positions has already been a feature of his game in the first six games of his career with Spurs, having also played as a central defender.

So far, his Spurs career includes two 90-minute appearances against Qarabag FK and Ferencvaros in the UEFA Europa League, in which he played right-back and centre-back, respectively. He has been a substitute in midfield during Premier League outings.

First-team football is paramount for him to realise his enormous potential, especially as he was a player who was almost ever-present with Leeds during their promotion push last season. Three substitute appearances totalling just 31 minutes in the league is not nearly enough for Gray to become the player most expect him to be one day.

However, early signs are promising for both Gray at Spurs and for Leeds this season in the Championship. Many would perhaps have predicted the Whites would struggle after losing Gray, Crysencio Sumerville, and Georginio Rutter but that has not been the case so far.

The deal between Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur for Archie Gray last summer earned the Yorkshire outfit £40 million, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.

It was reported in the summer of 2019 by the BBC that Jack Clarke’s move to north London cost £10 million, amounting to £50 million in total between the two academy graduates.

Though it was very good transfer business from the Whites, making big profits on young stars after giving them their breakthrough into senior football, but many were gutted to see the rising stars go.

The moves show the value of a strong academy system and why it’s so important for the club to maintain it in the years to come, instead of focusing all their attention on making big-money signings of their own.

Gray and Clarke both excelled at Elland Road - earning their moves to the Premier League after just one campaign of first-team football under their belts.

Leeds United supporters’ frustration at Clarke and Gray exits

However, it must be frustrating for Leeds supporters that those deals came to fruition so early in both players’ careers.

Clarke made 22 appearances for the club in the Championship prior to his permanent switch to Spurs, with his return on loan underwhelming as it led to just one more game in the team (all stats from Fbref).

Gray fared even better, debuting at the age of just 17 and immediately cementing himself as a crucial part of Daniel Farke’s side, making 44 regular league appearances.

Clarke struggled following his move to Spurs but rebuilt his career at Sunderland and is now competing in the Premier League again at Ipswich Town.

Meanwhile, Gray has already earned his place in Ange Postecoglou’s first team plans, making his top-flight debut off the bench against Leicester City in the opening fixture of the season, also appearing in their Europa League campaign.

It was clear from day one at Leeds that the pair possessed a lot of potential, but supporters never really got the opportunity to enjoy the most of it.

Exciting academy players help strengthen the bond between the team and the fans, so losing them both at basically the first opportunity was a blow, even if they were both deals that were too good to turn down.

Leeds must work to keep hold of future stars

More exciting young players will come through at Elland Road in the years to come, potentially as soon as this season.

Charlie Crew could be the beneficiary of Leeds’ current injury issues, with Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu both set for the sidelines over the next several weeks.

The 18-year-old midfielder has already been an unused substitute in the Championship in Farke’s side and is surely nearing a senior debut.

If he can make that breakthrough into the first-team squad and prove that he’s ready to play at this level, then Leeds must fight to keep hold of him.

While he has a contract until the summer of 2028, a similar long-term deal didn’t prevent Gray from departing earlier this year either.

The £50 million the Whites earned from the two sales to Spurs made business sense, but the club must consider supporters’ frustration at losing such exciting academy talent so quickly in the future.