Postecoglou wants Archie Gray Tottenham transfer for two clear reasons

Tottenham will be hoping to complete their second summer transfer over the coming days with the arrival of Leeds United star Archie Gray. Timo Werner has already had his loan move back to Spurs confirmed, with Ange Postecoglou hoping to make more additions ahead of the 2024/25 season.

football.london understands Spurs hold a strong interest in Gray, with talks now open over a summer transfer after his proposed move to Brentford fell through. As reported by LeedsLive, the Whites were unhappy with the structure of Brentford’s proposal and turned down their £40million approach.

As such, the Lilywhites now look set to take advantage, though a potential deal is still at the early stages. The bulk of his appearances came at right-back last season, but he also played 16 games in midfield, with 40 Championship starts, out of a possible 46, to his name.

Chelsea and Arsenal have also been linked to Gray with Leeds hoping to sell before the June 30 PSR deadline. For a number of reasons, it is undeniably clear to understand why Postecoglou wants the teenager to be part of his squad next season.

Firstly, given the appearances made in a variety of positions, Gray’s versatility is a major factor, with Postecoglou wanting his full-backs to invert. Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie are a crucial part of his system, and therefore Gray would be an astute addition with it clear he can provide depth.

Given how Micky van de Ven performed at left-back in the absence of Udogie, signing cover for Porro is a priority, and Gray will provide exactly that. At just 18, it is very unlikely the England under-21 international will be immediately placed in the starting XI if signed, though he will be a valuable member of the squad.

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While also being able to cover a number of positions, Gray is considered a homegrown player, having come through the Leeds academy. With Spurs set to take part in next season’s Europa League, having those locally-trained players is vital when it comes to submitting the squads that will be eligible to play in both Europe and the Premier League.

With the likes of Eric Dier, Ryan Sessegnon and Japhet Tanganga being moved on, it is especially important that Spurs sign replacements that can also be considered homegrown. Those concerns are also why Spurs taken have taken an interest in re-signing Marcus Edwards.

Chelsea duo Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah have also been of interest to Spurs in recent months, with the Blues potentially looking to offload both in order to help further balance their financial books.