Archie Gray: Just how good is Tottenham's new £40m wonderkid?

Football Manager enjoyers must be beaming a smile at this one. Their favourite wonderkid, Archie Gray, is on his way to Tottenham Hotspur.

The precocious 18-year-old emerged as a highly-coveted asset this summer having starred out of position for Daniel Farke's promotion-hunting Leeds last season. The Yorkshire club fell a game short of returning to the Premier League, rendering Gray's departure more likely given those who were keen.

Brentford thought they'd done enough to secure his signature, while Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, and Chelsea all boasted an interest. Spurs have been long-time admirers, and the club opted to swoop after Brentford had initially edged towards completing the move.

Ange Postecoglou's sweet talking and bear hugs (probably) supposedly convinced the teenager with the world at his feet to opt for N17, and Spurs supporters are doubtlessly excited about the midfield Johan Lange is building for the future.

Here's the rundown on Tottenham's new starboy.

Why are Tottenham signing Archie Gray?

There has been a considerable change in the way Tottenham go about recruiting following the appointment of Lange as technical director and Fabio Paratici's reduced prominence. Data now plays a leading role, and Gray was identified as a young talent capable of developing into a superstar while also being able to have an immediate impact.

The club will view the signing of Gray as the killing of two birds with one stone. While the 18-year-old is a midfielder at heart, he starred as a right-back last season and Tottenham could do with superior cover for Pedro Porro. Emerson Royal, Porro's deputy, is set to depart the club this summer.

Gray will be competing for midfield minutes with the likes of James Maddison, Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, and Oliver Skipp. Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg should be sold. Swedish sensation Lucas Bergvall will also be fighting for appearances after completing his move from Djurgardens, but Tottenham's presence in next season's Europa League gives Postecoglou the chance to deploy his two new midfield hotshots pretty frequently given the format change.

The teenager has reportedly received assurances over game time and opportunities, with his stellar work in the second tier suggesting that Gray is ready to make the step up and contribute quickly for the Lilywhites.

Oh, and he also boosts Tottenham's homegrown quota.

Archie Gray career stats

What is Archie Gray's best position?

Tottenham value Gray's versatility and he'll be used as a right-back when needed, but the club view the 18-year-old as a long-term option in midfield.

Postecoglou utilised a single pivot with two #8s that functioned ahead of the ball last season. Gray's immense reading of the game and coolness in the face of pressure means he could be deployed at the base of midfield, but the teenager also boasts the athleticism to eventually star in a box-to-box function. He's more Bentancur, a classy midfield customer with impressive ball-carrying abilities, than Maddison, Spurs' chief playmaker.

Given Yves Bissouma's inconsistency during the second half of 2023/24, Gray's best hope of midfield minutes next season will likely arrive in the difficult holding midfield role.

As a full-back, Gray emerged as a tough-tackling duel-winner. He recorded the most tackles of any Under-21 in the second tier last season (97), and finished the campaign with a respectable 76.4% tackle success rate. The teenager did have a few issues dealing with Leicester's Stephy Mavdidi, but there are few full-backs that enjoy dealing with raw speed.

If utilised at right-back at Spurs, Gray will undoubtedly appreciate what the manager asks of his full-backs. We saw Porro and Destiny Udogie essentially operate as auxiliary midfielders last season. Gray, given his strengths in the middle of the park, would suit this role.

How close did Brentford get to signing Archie Gray?

Given Gray's talent and the clubs chasing him, the midfielder's signing may well have been recognised as the biggest coup in Brentford's history.

Thomas Frank had seemingly worked his charm to convince the 18-year-old, although Leeds supporters were left aghast at the prospect of their budding young superstar ditching his boyhood club for little ol' Brentford.

The Bees were willing to pay upwards of £40m to secure Gray's services with the teenager undergoing a medical in west London before Tottenham quickly swooped. Wooed by Spurs' project with big Ange at the helm, Gray asked Leeds to reject Brentford's offer before completing his move to north London.

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