There was no surprise when Tottenham Hotspur decided to splash the cash and sign Archie Gray from Leeds United last summer.
Tottenham paid £30 million for Gray, but Leeds fans knew he was worth every penny.
Gray had played a big role for Leeds last season. He is a midfielder by trade, but he played most of the campaign at right-back and flourished in that role.
The 18-year-old was a key figure for Leeds in reaching the Championship play-off final. He provided two assists in 44 matches in the Championship.
Gray had been struggling to get into Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham starting line-up in the Premier League for much of this season.
However, back-to-back impressive performances at centre-back suggest that he could play a big role for the club in the second half of the campaign.
The England Under-21 international started at centre-back against Rangers at Ibrox in the Europa League last week.
Postecoglou raved about him after the game and said Gray was ‘outstanding’ for Tottenham in an unfamiliar role.
With Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero both injured, Gray kept his place in the Tottenham starting line-up against Southampton at St Mary’s in the Premier League over the weekend.
Gray held his own at the back and made a brilliant late goal-saving tackle. He also switched to left-back. Spurs won 5-0.
According to WhoScored, Gray had a 96.8 percent passing accuracy and took 102 touches. The former Leeds youngster made one tackle and one interception. He also put in one cross.
When Romero and Van de Ven return to full fitness, they will likely go straight back into the starting line-up, but Gray has now proved himself to be a reliable alternative for Postecoglou.
