New Tottenham signing fourth most expensive 18-year-old
By Tom Vinall
Per Transfermarkt, new Spurs signing Archie Gray is now the fourth most expensive 18-year-old of all time.
Gray is actually the most expensive non-Brazilian 18-year-old ever, in a bit of a random quirk.
To make another quirk, he is also the most expensive non-Real Madrid signed 18-year-old ever.
Endrick, Rodrygo and Vinicius' Jr's transfers to Real Madrid from Palmeiras, Santos and Flamengo respectively make them the only 18-year-old's more expensive than Gray.
Gray's 41.3m Euros fee puts him above the likes of Wayne Rooney in the list of most expensive 18-year-old's.
Of course, inflation should be accounted for, and some of the names below him will have cost more when inflation adjusted. But it shows the faith Spurs have in the player to go ahead with such a transaction.
The likes of the aforementioned Brazilian stars were much more recent signings, so a bit more of an accurate outlook regarding inflation and the actual discrepancy between their signings and the signing of Gray.
READ MORE: Archie Gray signing with Tottenham makes for interesting EFL stat
New Tottenham signing fourth most expensive 18-year-old
Luke Shaw to Manchester United was also a signing in the past decade (just), and Gray is above him. Shaw, when fit, has gone onto have a fruitful career for club and country.
The likes of Fabio Silva and Renato Sanches are also part of the top 10, so it is important to be wary that such an outlay does not guarantee that the player will be a success.
Spurs fans have long since asked for Spurs to make this kind of signing. Although they would have cost less than Gray, the likes of Kim Min-Jae and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia slipped the net despite Spurs' interest in the two of them.
We have all seen the rise of Adam Wharton in the last few months at Crystal Palace, having joined in January from Blackburn Rovers in the Championship. It was so important that Spurs made sure they did not let another player slip and secured the signature of Gray as soon as possible.
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