Leeds United deal could help Tottenham make up for Alex Scott

Tottenham were linked with Alex Scott after he joined Bournemouth from Bristol City, and they won’t want history to repeat itself with Leeds

Leeds United fans will be hoping that starlet Archie Gray stays with the club for some time to come just yet – though they will be wary that England’s top clubs will be keeping their eyes on the midfielder.

Gray has been with Leeds since he was just eight years old, and having burst through the ranks – including training with the first-team at the age of just 14 – he made the bench for a game against Arsenal in December 2021 at the age of 15.

It’s been this season in the Championship where Gray has excelled, however.

Already making 22 appearances for the club, other clubs have reportedly kept their eye on the youngster, and with Tottenham said to be lurking, the Elland Road outfit should be looking to avoid any deal. But with Spurs letting Alex Scott slip through their fingers, a deal for Gray could well be their chance at making up for lost time.

Archie Gray transfer latest

According to reports from the Daily Mail, Tottenham have shown their interest in Archie Gray alongside Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White ahead of bids in the summer transfer window.

That should mean that Leeds will keep him until the end of the season and should they earn promotion, it would become increasingly more difficult for Spurs to land Gray in any capacity with the Yorkshire outfit likely to hand the youngster first-team minutes in the top-flight; something Tottenham wouldn’t likely be able to do with the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr ahead of him in the pecking order at the very minimum.

Alex Scott and Archie Gray’s deal similarities

Scott excelled for Bristol City for two years in the Championship, and it was clear to see for many that his career wouldn’t be in the second-tier much longer during his time at Ashton Gate.

Spurs had been linked with a move for his services, but they delayed, with the midfielder instead joining Bournemouth.

It took Scott a while to get going on the south coast, but it’s no surprise that his involvement in the starting line-up has seen the Cherries take three wins from the six games in which he has featured after an injury set-back.

One goal and an assist in that time is good going for a player of his age, and even two games in cup competitions have yielded two assists.

With Gray, Tottenham could well rue a sense of deja-vu should Gray move on for pastures new elsewhere and they miss out once again.

Of course, the youngster is only 17 years of age and thus he is three years behind Scott in terms of experience, but his performances already this season have proven he is an old head upon young shoulders – it’s rare for a 17-year-old to feature in most games for a promotion-challenging Championship club.

Daniel Farke on Archie Gray’s future

Speaking towards the end of October, Farke wasn’t pushed towards an immediate career switch for Archie Gray – instead simply trying to improve his development at a natural rate by lessening the pressure on his shoulders and claiming that Leeds as a club come before his minutes.

He said: “First of all, we are not here just to make sure we develop Archie in a perfect position. Although we love Archie and want to develop him and I have a reputation perhaps to bring some young players through and bring them on to another level, our main target is that we as Leeds United want to be successful.