Archie Gray has completed a big-money move to Spurs. The Leeds United youth product, who played 52 times for his boyhood club in 2023/24, signed for Spurs for around £30m (though some sources put that figure closer to £40m). The deal was completed on the 2nd of July 2024 and the exact details of the transfer are undisclosed. However, we know that Gray had a release clause in his contract if Leeds failed to earn promotion last season and that Tottenham have triggered that.
Gray is Leeds royalty, being the son of Andy Gray, who played for the club, and the grandson of Frank, who also represented the West Yorkshire side. Archie’s brother, Harry, is currently with the Leeds academy, whilst great uncle Eddie is a club legend, and played almost 600 games for Leeds in the great side of the 1970s, and still works for the Whites and has twice managed them.
His departure has stung fans, as they believed he could be a key part of the team for years (or even decades) to come. However, there is no room for sentiment and loyalty in modern football and money talks, with “profit and sustainability” having far more significance than multi-generational ties to the club. Leeds believe that by selling Gray they can keep most of their other players and mount a challenge to earn promotion in 2024/25.
The Gray deal has also helped facilitate a move the other way, with Spurs selling Joe Rodon to Leeds after he enjoyed a successful loan spell there last term. The West Yorkshire outfit know exactly what they are getting with the rugged Welsh centre back, but what can Spurs fans expect from Gray?
Brilliant Midfielder Brings Flexibility
Gray is a central midfielder who has a little bit of everything to his game. He is incredibly young, not turning 19 until March 2025, but also boasts a decent degree of experience, having played more than 50 times for Leeds. In addition, he has represented England at every level from U15 through to the U21 team, and Spurs believe they are signing a player who will go on to win a lot of England caps.
As well as his relative experience, Gray is very much an old head on young shoulders. His family is a real footballing dynasty, with Archie breaking various records at Leeds that had previously been held by other members of the clan. That upbringing, steeped in football, has made him a mature player, with excellent football intelligence.
He is very hardworking and reads the game very well, meaning he offers a lot defensively. However, his calmness and composure on the ball, plus his technical ability and skill, mean that he is excellent going forward too. He can help create and score goals, go past a man and pick a pass, whilst his height also makes him a threat in the air.
It would be foolish to compare him (or anyone!) to Jude Bellingham but there are similarities. Of course, he is not anywhere near that level yet but working with Ange Postecoglou will certainly help, although there must be fears that the move could hinder his progress.
Will he Play at Spurs?
Archie Gray does not need to look too hard to find an example of a local lad leaving Leeds as a midfield hero but seeing their career fall apart after a move to a better club. Kalvin Phillips should surely serve as a cautionary tale to Gray. Despite a large transfer fee, playing time is far from guaranteed at a top-six Premier League side, and Gray and his family must have some concerns about the opportunities he will have at Spurs.
He is also not the first young prospect to swap the white of Leeds for that of Spurs in recent times. Jack Clarke, another local lad, made the same switch back in 2019, for a fee of around £10m. The promising winger, who had impressed in the 2018/19 Championship campaign with Leeds, did not play a single Premier League game for Tottenham and saw a career that was on the rise stutter badly.
He made six appearances at U20 level for England in 2019 and 2020 but has not played internationally since. Although Clarke has now found something of a home at Sunderland, and has been linked with a return to Leeds, one has to wonder where he might have been had he not spent so long on the sidelines at Spurs.
Of course, it remains to be seen if Gray can force his way into the starting XI on a regular basis. He is young, and he may have to be patient, but there will be some who will argue his development would be better served playing 40+ games a year at Leeds than warming the bench in north London.
In Gray’s favour, Postecoglou clearly has no qualms about playing youngsters, and the new signing’s high-energy game will be perfect for what the Australian boss is trying to achieve with Spurs. In addition, Gray is a quick learner and flexible both tactically and positionally.
His future surely lies in midfield, probably as a box-to-box player, but he was pressed into service at right back many times with Leeds and can also play as a four or even a 10: again, that Bellingham comparison. It will be very interesting indeed to see how his career now develops and whether or not he can nail down a spot at his new club in the season ahead.
We believe that the £30m (or whatever the exact fee turns out to be) Spurs have paid will prove to be a bargain. But that will only be the case if he is given opportunities and the right coaching. Postecoglou’s midfield options are certainly not overwhelming, so we suspect the Leeds youngster might just be able to show fans at Tottenham just how good he is.