Credit: Imago

Josh Edwards

Tue 26 May 2026 12:10, UK

Archie Gray has been a bit-part player at best for Tottenham Hotspur since the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi.

Spurs will be a Premier League club again next season, which is a testament to the work that De Zerbi has done in a short space of time.

However, survival is just the first step of the rebuild in North London, with this summer’s plans set to be the next step.

Tottenham are in need of much more quality across all areas of the squad, and to achieve that, several players may be moved on if they don’t fit into the plans.

Gray is one who could leave, with Bayern having previously expressed an interest in signing the former Leeds United star.

Archie Gray’s future at Tottenham looks bleak

Many would make the case that Gray was one of Tottenham’s Player of the Season for the campaign just passed, though it would have been a different story had De Zerbi arrived earlier, and certainly says more about the lack of quality around him as opposed to anything else.

The 20-year-old has started just once for Spurs since De Zerbi was appointed, and has made just two appearances since then.

One of those came on the final day of the season, where Gray was handed just eight minutes off the bench to help the Lilywhites see out the game.

Bayern have shown an interest in Gray already this year, and his head may well be turned at the prospect of moving there, given the lack of gametime handed to him by De Zerbi.

The stats that demonstrate why Gray’s omission is the right call

Tottenham fans love Gray, and the main reason behind that is his work rate, and the way he puts himself about for the team.

But in truth, the youngster lacks the quality needed to start in a De Zerbi midfield, which is where he will see himself.

Only 7.4 per cent of midfielders in the Premier League average fewer completed passes per game, with Gray recording just 27.

He ranks the lowest in the top flight for duels won per game, with just 1.76, totalling 29 throughout the season.

It means he has won just 34.5 per cent of his duels, which again places him among the bottom 3.7 per cent of midfielders.

His attitude is perfect for this team and the path they want to go down, but his quality perhaps will be best served elsewhere.