Derby County told to swerve Leeds United transfer - 'I wouldn't see the point' | OneFootball

Derby County, Charlton Athletic, Swansea City and Hull City are all said to be interested in the young striker

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Derby County are one of four clubs weighing up a move for young Leeds United striker Harry Gray.

That’s according to journalist Alan Nixon, who revealed through his Patreon that Derby, along with Charlton Athletic, Swansea City and Hull City, are all considering a loan deal for the 17-year-old striker.

It was followed by a report from TEAMtalk that confirmed the Premier League side would be willing to sanction a temporary exit for Gray.

We asked our Derby fan pundit, Shaun Woodward, whether it’s a deal he feels his club should be doing in January.

Derby County should prioritise their own youngsters

Speaking to Football League World, Shaun said: “I do believe that Harry Gray is going to be a really good player in the future. He's highly thought of by Leeds United fans, and he scored a lot of goals in youth football.

“Personally speaking, though, I think if we're going to look down the road of bringing in a young, inexperienced player, then I think we have our own in our youth setup.

“So, I wouldn't see the point in bringing in somebody else's, just to give them match time and experience when we could do it for our own, that ultimately could benefit us in the future if they go on to the first team and potentially make us money.

“I don't see why we'd want to do it for another club.

“So, yeah, I think if that's the road we're going to go down, I think we have plenty of attacking options in our under-21s and under-18s we could look at.

“Also, it's not really an area of the pitch that I think we really need to be bringing in experience.

“If we're playing the 3-4-3, we've got [Carlton] Morris, [Patrick] Agyemang, and [Ben Brereton] Diaz as the main three at the moment, and then you've got [Lars-Jorgen] Salvesen, Andreas [Weimann], [Rhian] Brewster, Corey Blackett-Taylor, and [Kayden] Jackson.

“So, we're blessed with a lot of attacking options right now, so I think that's probably like eight players just mentioned there, to fit three spaces.

“It's not an area the pitch we probably need to be looking at, unless someone comes along who is too good to turn down.

“So, yeah, at the moment, I'd be happy with what we've got in the forward areas, and if we are going to bring someone in, it needs to be someone that's really going to force the way into the starting XI.”

Derby County switch for Harry Gray would make little sense for any party

Shaun hits upon a valid point, which is the fact that Derby are already blessed in the area of the pitch that Gray would want to play: through the middle.

Morris is flying for the Rams, having netted 10 goals in 15 Championship games so far, and with one central striker role available in John Eustace’s 3-4-3, Gray’s access to minutes already seems stretched.

That’s not to mention that Agyemang ideally wants that spot but has been forced into a different role, and Eustace also needs to find minutes for the likes of Brewster and Salvesen.

Speaking about Gray, Leeds boss Daniel Farke said: “He needs training sessions with the first team to get used to the proper physicality of men’s football in the Premier League.

“He needs game time in the U21s, in order to sustain his rhythm, and what he needs most is time and peace to develop and grow.”

While Pride Park may allow him to train with a senior team, and the wealth of attacking options there would reduce the pressure on his young shoulders, his route to minutes feels a little too distant.

What may be best for Gray at this stage is a club with one main striker, in or around the Championship, who he can come in and deputise for, and maybe compete for starts with, as the loan progresses.

With five goals in six Premier League 2 outings, plus two in two in the EFL Trophy against lower-league senior opposition, it is clear the youngster is ready to move away from youth football and test himself at the senior level, but for a player so young, it needs to be the correct environment to ensure it doesn’t stunt his development.

Still just 17, it’s not a decision Leeds need to rush, and with at least three other Championship sides interested, it seems unlikely they will be without suitors.