Gray already in trouble at Tottenham as medical complete for new transfer
Archie Gray faces a challenge to get into Thomas Frank’s starting XI at Tottenham.
Gray was close to joining Frank at Brentford before Tottenham secured a deal in the region of £30million with Leeds United for the teenager.
The versatile youngster was only 18 at the time of his arrival, but went on to feature prominently under Ange Postecoglou, quickly becoming a mainstay as injuries took their toll on the team.
Gray will now look to establish himself further under the new manager, but may find it difficult to do so as Frank looks to bring in a new face at Hotspur Way.
Joao Palhinha completes Tottenham medical
Gray was initially signed with a view of slowly being blooded into the first team as he acclimatised to the demands of the Premier League.
However, he featured in every minute of Tottenham’s group stage games in the UEFA Europa League, and had become a regular starter in the league from December.
Gray ended up playing the majority of last season in the unfamiliar role of centre-back as he covered for the injuries to Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, and finished the season as the fifth most-used player.
| Player | In Squad | Appearances | Minutes Played |
| Pape Matar Sarr | 58 | 55 | 2,925′ |
| Pedro Porro | 60 | 51 | 4,130′ |
| Brennan Johnson | 53 | 51 | 3,316′ |
| Dejan Kulusevski | 50 | 50 | 3,450′ |
| Archie Gray | 60 | 46 | 3,244′ |
The youngster has made no secret of preferring to play as a defensive midfielder, but the imminent arrival of Joao Palhinha will threaten his plans.
The Portugal international has completed a medical with his arrival set to be announced imminently [Fabrizio Romano].
Palhinha is an elite ball-winner, which is something Spurs have sorely lacked in recent times, and at 30 years old, is signed for the now and is expected to feature prominently in the first team.
This could be to the detriment of Gray, as Spurs will soon boast six recognised centre midfielders, while they are also far better stocked at centre-back.
Gray’s future could lie at right-back
While Frank is still expected to offload at least one central midfielder to make space for Palhinha, Gray may have a better chance at making an impression next season at right-back.
Currently, Spurs only have two players for that position in Pedro Porro and Djed Spence, though the latter has arguably performed better for Tottenham on the opposite flank.
Both are very attack-minded, potentially opening a space up for Gray to feature in games where Frank opts to field a more defensive back line.
The Dane will have a difficult decision to make on the England Under-21 international, but will no doubt be focused on maximising the potential that the teenager possesses.
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