Quietly and effectively, Tottenham Hotspur appear to be putting together quite the crop of talent in North London.
It’s a Football Manager player’s dream.
Lukas Bergvall, Luka Vuskovic, Ashley Phillips and, potentially the crown jewell in Spurs’ gleaming collection of gems, Archie Gray.
A £35 million signing from a ‘heartbroken’ Leeds United side, Gray may be an 18-year-old with only one season of regular first-team football under his belt but the excitement that has greeted his arrival at Tottenham Hotspur speaks volumes.
For Stan Collymore, there is no reason why Gray – should he maintain his fearsome rate of progress – cannot follow in his footsteps with an England cap or two sooner rather than later.
“I think he will go on potentially and play for England, though he’s eligible for Scotland as well,” Collymore tells Caught Offside.
“I imagine that, whoever the next England manager is, he will be watching over the next season or two at Spurs, but they may well call him up for the England senior squad sooner rather than later.”
Gray certainly possesses many of the attributes which mark him out as a potentially elite talent for both club and country. Players ten years his senior would struggle to rival Gray’s remarkable maturity on and off the ball, not to mention his ability to play in a variety of different roles with similar levels of class.
Gray, a central midfielder by trade, was deployed as a right-back by Daniel Farke throughout much of last term at Leeds and excelled there too.
“Archie Gray is already nearing a half century of performances at just 18, so he will know what he’s about as a player. He’s a big lad as well, six foot two, and he’s only going to get bigger, stronger and more versatile in the next two or three years,” adds Collymore, once of Aston Villa and Liverpool..
“He can play as a centre mid or as a right-back and he’s got pedigree after turning out for England (at youth level).
“Personally, I think it’s a great move. I’m a massive fan of Tottenham, the way that their Academy has done things.
“The facilities are arguably the best in the world at Spurs Lodge. They don’t necessarily just promote ex-players as coaches in the academy and they’ve got Ange Postecoglou, who’s a very minded open manager.”
Not another Jack Clarke situation
Unlike Jack Clarke – who also joined Tottenham from Leeds – there now appears to be a progression plan in place for the youngster in the capital.
Clarke found himself out of the picture once Jose Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino, forced back into the EFL and thriving at Sunderland.
In Postecoglou, however, Spurs now have a coach more aligned with the latter than the former, such is the faith he tends to place in youth.
Gray, meanwhile, made no secret of his admiration for Postecoglou’s old employers during his unveiling as a Tottenham player this week.
“Archie Gray and his family are all Celtic fans and love Ange, so I’m really excited,” says Collymore. “I think it’s the right player, the right move, the right club at the right time and I think that he will get opportunities to play.
“The world’s his oyster.”
It remains to be seen whether Postecoglou sees Gray as a midfielder or views his future at right-back. The metronomic teenager could potentially thrive as the link between defence and attack with the sort of deep-lying playmaker duties Yves Bissouma at times struggle to fulfil.
Fellow youngster Bergvall is also expected to be in Spurs’ first-team roster next term.
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