“I don’t think” – Archie Gray makes Leeds United, Tottenham transfer admission

Leeds United sold Archie Gray to Tottenham during the summer window, and the teenager is hoping to impress in the Europa League this season.

Leeds fans won’t be able to help themselves but look on at Archie Gray’s development at Tottenham with envy in the coming months, having seen him leave for North London.

£40million was a lot of money for Leeds, but seeing a generational talent leave the club is a bitter pill to swallow.

Archie Gray “grateful” for Leeds development ahead of Europa League clash with Spurs

Gray and Spurs are preparing for their second Europa League clash of the season, coming after a 3-0 home win with 10 men against Viktoria Plze, where Gray impressed at right-back.

He’s yet to get a chance in the middle of midfield under Ange Postecoglou, but the Spurs manager’s utilisation of his full-backs means Gray is getting infield a lot more often than he was at Elland Road.

Speaking to BBC Radio London ahead of their clash with Ferencvárosi, Gray revealed how he’s “grateful” for his time at Leeds and how it has shaped him now:

“I don’t think too much has changed [since leaving Leeds], it’s just learning the roles of a different team and manager.

“Once you’ve learned that it’s quite the same, trying to do as much as you can on the pitch.

“The amount of games [in the Championship] has helped me with being robust and being strong with my body. I can play as many games as possible and I back myself to do that.

“I’m grateful for the season that I had last year, it helped me a lot and I can take that into this year”.

Shame Leeds couldn’t develop Gray further as a midfielder

Our playoff final result has essentially decided we can’t keep hold of one of the best talents this club has ever seen, which is such a shame.

It’s the reality of the footballing food chain, though, that teams in the Championship simply cannot retain players of that talent and quality.

Gray could have been our starting central midfielder this season, but the lure and money of the Premier League is too much to turn down.