Spurs stole Leeds United pair for combined £50m fee too early, it must frustrate Whites faithful: View | OneFootball

The combined sales of Archie Gray and Jack Clarke to Spurs earned Leeds United £50 million, but at what cost?

The deal between Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur for Archie Gray last summer earned the Yorkshire outfit £40 million, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.

It was reported in the summer of 2019 by the BBC that Jack Clarke’s move to north London cost £10 million, amounting to £50 million in total between the two academy graduates.

Though it was very good transfer business from the Whites, making big profits on young stars after giving them their breakthrough into senior football, but many were gutted to see the rising stars go.

The moves show the value of a strong academy system and why it’s so important for the club to maintain it in the years to come, instead of focusing all their attention on making big-money signings of their own.

Gray and Clarke both excelled at Elland Road - earning their moves to the Premier League after just one campaign of first-team football under their belts.

Leeds United supporters’ frustration at Clarke and Gray exits

However, it must be frustrating for Leeds supporters that those deals came to fruition so early in both players’ careers.

Clarke made 22 appearances for the club in the Championship prior to his permanent switch to Spurs, with his return on loan underwhelming as it led to just one more game in the team (all stats from Fbref).

Gray fared even better, debuting at the age of just 17 and immediately cementing himself as a crucial part of Daniel Farke’s side, making 44 regular league appearances.

Clarke struggled following his move to Spurs but rebuilt his career at Sunderland and is now competing in the Premier League again at Ipswich Town.

Meanwhile, Gray has already earned his place in Ange Postecoglou’s first team plans, making his top-flight debut off the bench against Leicester City in the opening fixture of the season, also appearing in their Europa League campaign.

It was clear from day one at Leeds that the pair possessed a lot of potential, but supporters never really got the opportunity to enjoy the most of it.

Exciting academy players help strengthen the bond between the team and the fans, so losing them both at basically the first opportunity was a blow, even if they were both deals that were too good to turn down.

More exciting young players will come through at Elland Road in the years to come, potentially as soon as this season.

Charlie Crew could be the beneficiary of Leeds’ current injury issues, with Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu both set for the sidelines over the next several weeks.

The 18-year-old midfielder has already been an unused substitute in the Championship in Farke’s side and is surely nearing a senior debut.

If he can make that breakthrough into the first-team squad and prove that he’s ready to play at this level, then Leeds must fight to keep hold of him.

While he has a contract until the summer of 2028, a similar long-term deal didn’t prevent Gray from departing earlier this year either.

The £50 million the Whites earned from the two sales to Spurs made business sense, but the club must consider supporters’ frustration at losing such exciting academy talent so quickly in the future.