Spurs reject enquiry from Sevilla for teenager

According to a fresh report out of the Spanish media, Spurs have rejected an enquiry from Sevilla sporting director Victor Orta, to bring in Archie Gray on loan in the January transfer window.

Orta was previously sporting director of Leeds United, and whilst Gray’s proper breakthrough into the first team came the season after he departed the club in the summer of 2023, there is no doubt the 46-year old will be aware of Gray from his time at the Yorkshire club.

The report suggests that Orta saw an opportunity due to the teenagers “lack of game time” at Spurs so far. Whilst he perhaps hasn’t played as much as he would have wanted, it has been through no fault of his own. Pedro Porro at right-back, and Dejan Kulusevksi in midfield, have been two of the clubs best performing players – the two positions that Gray has played in the most.

He is not really a defensive midfielder, which rules out the six position, and without trying to sound too technical, the left sided midfield role that Maddison plays would also take some getting used to. That too, and Maddison has largely played well so far this season.

It is all in good timing. There is very little doubt, if at all, that Gray will get his fair share of chances over the season. He has played all 270 minutes possible in the Europa League so far, playing at right-back, left-back, and at centre-back already. There are still another five league phase games left alone, before Spurs (all being well) embark on their journey in the knockout stages.

He also played the whole 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup vs Coventry City, meaning he has played 360/360 minutes in non Premier League competitions. Sure, his 48 minutes in the league could have been higher, but there is no rush, at all. The amount of wonderkids in world football now make us forget just how young it is to be 18-years old in senior football, playing at the highest level.

Also, even if there was an opportunity for Gray to be loaned out, not sure Sevilla would be the best one. The Spanish side signed Alejo Veliz on loan in January, and proceeded to play him for a whopping 47 minutes across a six month spell. There would be much better options for the club to loan him out to.

That said, you probably wouldn’t trust them to – with their recent record of loaning players out. That’s another reason he should stay put rather than being loaned out. You wouldn’t be surprised if Spurs loaned him somewhere he was plonked on the bench.