‘He Could Be’ – Thomas Frank Makes Lofty Prediction On Tottenham Star | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank has lauded Archie Gray for his strong character, stressing that the 19-year-old could become a leader in the future.

The Durham-born talent grew up in Leeds United’s youth system and impressed playing versatile roles for the Whites in his two senior seasons at the club.

Last year, Spurs paid a hefty £40m for the youngster, penning a six-year deal with the England youth international.

Georginio Rutter, now at Brighton, admitted when he first saw Gray at Leeds he knew he was special.

It was suggested that if Gray did leave Leeds he would go abroad and not stay in England, but the midfielder joined Tottenham.

Even though the plan was to get him in the Tottenham team slowly, multiple injuries at the back saw him get thrown in the deep end, as he ended up playing in 46 games for the north Londoners last term.

Gray can play in a multitude of positions, despite him being only 19, but Spurs boss Frank has made it clear that he sees the teenager more as a midfielder.

Frank, though, appreciates Gray’s positional fluidity, as the ex-Leeds man has played at left-back when needed this term.

He started two of the last three league games for Spurs in the engine room and has seen a good amount of game time in the Champions League as well.

Frank pointed out that Gray plays with his head up, lauding him for his beautiful pass against Slavia Prague earlier this week in the Champions League.

The Spurs boss is clear about what Gray can do and he feels that the England Under-21 international has all the qualities to become a leader.

“What I like about Archie is, he is very good on the ball”, Frank told a press conference (11:09) when he was asked about the teenager.

“I like that he plays with his head up, so he can play short, and he can drive with the ball.

“The pass he played to Pedro Porro for the penalty against Slavia was an excellent pass, perfectly weighted, played in behind.

“[He has] great capacity to cover the pitch, good pressing skills.

“And I think he is young, but he has a very good character, I think he could be a leader in future.”

The 19-year-old has suffered from a calf injury for a while this season, but has clocked close to 600 minutes in all competitions for Spurs.

It remains to be seen if he will be given a start against Nottingham Forest in midfield to show his pedigree again in order to cement a place for himself in the first team.