New leader emerges to guide Tottenham away from relegation doom | OneFootball

Archie Gray has been relegated once and has no desire to do so again

As squad building goes, Tottenham have not exactly put on a masterclass in recent seasons.

With Cristian Romero's diary primarily filled by serving suspensions and taking aim at the club's hierarchy on social media, Spurs have had to look elsewhere for their leaders.

Archie Gray, who only turned 20 this month, has stepped up significantly in recent weeks to try and drag Spurs out of their dire situation.

When Gray was substituted after 81 minutes on Wednesday night against Atletico Madrid, Diego Llorente jogged over to the touchline to shake the Englishman's hand and acknowledge another stellar performance.

Those final nine minutes plus stoppage-time were the first Gray had missed in Tudor's reign, having played the full 90 in the previous five games.

Gray has become an integral part of Spurs’ first-team set-up this term

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Gray has started on both the left and right of defence, covering for injuries as he has done for much of his Spurs career, before Tudor soon worked out he was the best midfielder at his disposal.

“He's a guy, you know the positions he plays everywhere, so probably this position in the middle is, I believe, the best one for him,” Tudor said on Wednesday night.

“But he's playing continually in the right way, in a good way. It's a mix of quality, physically and mentally, to always make the right choices and be humble and have the legs to do so."

Spurs' best moments against Atletico came from the drive and box-to-box running of Gray.

Gray celebrates Randol Kolo Muani (R) scoring Spurs’ first goal against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday

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In one instance he showed brilliant footwork on the touchline to wriggle out of space and launch a sweeping move that should have resulted in Spurs going 2-0 up on the night.

Having started the move inside his own half, it was Gray screaming for the ball to be squared to leave him a tap-in as Mathys Tel shot himself.

Then, in the second half, he pounced on a loose pass, linked up with Pape Sarr and then flicked the ball to Xavi Simons, who curled into the bottom corner.

That was Gray's third assist since Tudor took charge, more than any other Spurs player.

In those six matches, he also leads the way for big chances created, is second for possession won, and third for clearances and recoveries.

Gray has been capped 16 times for the England U21s but is yet to get a first senior call-up. That will come, and on current form in the not too distant future.

Gray in action for England U21s against Andorra in October

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For now, forget his age or some of the bigger names in the Spurs squad. Gray is one of the true leaders to be relied on.