What Roberto De Zerbi has said about Archie Gray's future as Tottenham reject Newcastle bid
Roberto De Zerbi will hope that Tottenham Hotspur are able to keep Archie Gray after the club rejected an offer from Newcastle United.
The Lilywhites have already had a busy start to their summer window, with several signings already through the door.
De Zerbi has been keen to focus on defensive additions so far, with the likes of Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Andrew Robertson all coming to N17.
However, attention may soon turn to midfield and attack, but there may have never been any thoughts about losing Gray heading into the summer.
The midfielder only signed from Leeds United in July of 2024, but Eddie Howe seems keen on stealing him from Spurs already.
Though Tottenham have rejected an offer from Newcastle, the Magpies could come back with another bid for Gray, which De Zerbi may not like.
What Roberto De Zerbi has already said about Archie Gray
De Zerbi hasn't worked with Tottenham players for all that long, considering the team has yet to start their pre-season.
The Italian has managed just seven games for Spurs, but in that time, he's already seen what type of player Gray is,
The former Brighton boss believes that the 20-year-old has a bright future ahead of him, and the former will hope that's at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the foreseeable future.
De Zerbi said in May, as quoted by ESPN: "He is very young, [but] big potential as a player. I think he can become the future. I am sure he can become the future of this club and the captain of this club.
"He has to understand better what his position will be on the pitch. Maybe I would like him to be more specific in one position. We are working on that, in individual meetings with individual clips."
The Tottenham head coach is committed to helping the youngster learn and develop at Spurs, and has experience of helping youthful talent, as seen from his time with Brighton.
However, if Newcastle were to throw an offer too good for the Lilywhites to reject, what would that fee be?
What is Gray's market value?
Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday that Tottenham had indeed rejected an offer for Gray from Newcastle.
It appears the that Spurs are clear on that they do not want to sell the midfielder.
Transfermarkt value the former Leeds United youth graduate at £30million, though Spurs may value his potential at much more than this.
Gray was never going to look like the £30m signing that Tottenham made two years ago straight away, as the investment is worth much more in the future than the present.