Archie Gray had already beaten out Rodrigo Bentancur for one of the starting midfield jobs at Tottenham Hotspur, so when Benta went down with a torn hamstring a few days ago against Bournemouth, the main cause for concern was Spurs depth in midfield rather than the necessity of a new starter to replace him,
So far, Gray has performed admirably in the deep lying midfield role, and he has been every bit the upgrade on Bentancur that Spurs supporters envisioned. Gray plays the game with more positivity and progression on the ball than Bentancur, showing more quality as a dribbler and more verve to pass forward. The 19 year old phenom is still far from the finished product, but the fact that he is already a superior option to Bentancur bodes well for his future.
Tottenham have just added another center midfielder to the equation in the immediate aftermath of the Bentancur injury, signing Conor Gallagher from Spanish giants Atletico Madrid for a cool 40 million euros, scrambling to ink the ex Chelsea man after watching Aston Villa hold significant interest in the England international.
Archie Gray and Conor Gallagher can co exist
Although another body with a starting track record in the Premier League would seem to complicate things for the existing youth at Tottenham, in the case of Archie Gray, the Gallagher signing might actually be a pretty big win for the U21 talent.
Gallagher and Gray do not play the same position or role on the pitch. Gray is a holding midfielder who focuses more on reading the game, dictating play, and passing to control the match, whereas Gallagher is an all action and box to box bulldog.
So really, Gallagher and Gray are going to play alongside each other, and the leadership, work rate, and experience that the 25 year old Gallagher has will figure to be a boon for Gray. Gallagher is someone Gray can learn from in terms of his professionalism and how he approaches the game, as Gray could stand to be more active on the ball and in the defensive phases to add to the promise he is showing as a passer and interceptor in the No. 6 role.
Gallagher will hurt the minutes and opportunities young box to box midfielders Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr will be getting, but in the short term, he will be an asset to Gray's development. Bentancur really was not the best mentor for Gray, as even though they, in theory, should be doing the same things, Benta was just getting in Gray's way on the pitch and is not that good. Gallagher is a better player than Bentancur and is more of a brave leader, and Gray can actually play alongside him since their skill sets are different.