Spurs announce the signing of highly rated Leeds United midfielder

Spurs have announced on the club website and all social media platforms the signing of Archie Gray from Championship outfit Leeds United.

It had been reported over the weekend that Brentford were very close to the signing of Gray, with reports that a bid had been accepted, and that Gray was reluctantly going to sign.

However, over the weekend, other reports came out that Spurs were set to hijack the move and that Gray was instead off to another club in London.

Naturally, Leeds would have been very reluctant to say, and even said "heartbroken to see one of our own depart" when confirming the deal was done.

But Leeds' PSR issues have been well documented, and as soon as they lost the play-off final vs Southampton back in May, everybody at and around the club knew that big sales would have to be made to guarantee the future of the club.

Gray was in absolutely no hurry to leave Leeds, his boyhood club, and one with rich family history, but the aforementioned PSR issues meant he had very little say in the matter.

Nevertheless, he was asked by the club what made him sign for Spurs, and he said - "It's a massive project under Ange and it's something I want to be part of. I'm a massive Celtic fan so I love Ange. My whole family loves him. He's a massive factor!"

Spurs had been linked to Gray previously, so you can imagine once the interest from Brentford became apparent, Spurs would have wanted to waste no time at all and get a deal done as quickly as possible to avoid the midfielder slipping through the net.

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Gray is seen as by many as a player who will make several appearances for England, owing to such fantastic capabilities at such a young age. A midfielder by trade, Gray filled in several times at Right-Back last season, not looking out of place despite being 17/18 years old and playing out of position.

Those that have watched Gray on a number of occasions seem to think that his long-term future is an 8, not as a 6 or at Right-Back as some seem to think. Gray is a highly energetic player but also a technician with the qualities to make an impact on games in the final third.

I mentioned in a previous piece that one of the positives on Spurs playing Europa League football, instead of Champions League football, is that they will be able to give players a chance to get minutes and to rotate the squad. Gray can be a huge beneficiary of this, and can expect to get plenty of minutes in the competition.

That isn't to say he can't and won't get minutes in the Premier League either, though. This isn't some youth signing. This isn't a Jack Clarke signing either. There is a strong possibility that Gray could make his way into the Spurs' starting line-up in the league very soon. Pape Sarr was the only player in the double pivot that could say he was generally pretty consistent last season. A Sarr-Gray midfield two behind James Maddison is pretty feasible.

Of course, Gray being homegrown is another huge plus to this signing. It has been said so many times but Spurs are in desperate need of homegrown players to fill the quota, so signing a homegrown player who can immediately make an impact in the first-team really is killing two birds with one stone.