Tottenham Hotspur have so many talented young players in their squad who just have not been getting sufficient opportunities to shine under Thomas Frank, and that's been a big reason why Spurs supporters have been so harsh on the new manager. They have been dropping points week after week, in large part because Frank is not playing his best players, including players who are future pillars of the club.
One of those individuals is young center midfielder Archie Gray. Just 19 years of age, the highly gifted deep lying playmaker joined in summer 2024 from Leeds with a high price tag and lofty long term expectations. He was, unfortunately, played as a center back frequently by Ange Postecoglou, and in his second season with a new manager, Gray was mostly cast aside by Frank to start the campaign.
But lately, Frank has been giving Gray starting opportunities, largely left with no choice. And Tottenham have looked so much better in position and in getting the ball forward with Gray starting in midfield. He has lapped Rodrigo Bentancur and the Spurs attack is much more fluid if Gray plays over the much more defensive Joao Palhinha as well.
Archie Gray makes the others shine
After delivering a crisp, solid all around performance to help Xavi Simons shine and Tottenham roll over Frank's old employers Brentford 2-0 on Saturday in the Premier League, the new Spurs manager had to give Gray some well earned praise.
Frank said after the win, via The Spurs Express, “I think he did well while I think a few others shined a little. So for example when Djed Spence bombed on, he would always cover. He did well on the ball and got out of some tricky situation. A very solid performance.”
There is so much about what Gray does that is not captured in the stat sheet. He is tireless at covering gaps defensively for other players when they go forward, and even at the age of 19, he has this almost innate sense of where to go and where to be off the ball.
He is also far more brave than the experienced Bentancur in possession, and you can not teach that. What Gray does when he is on the pitch for Tottenham is invaluable, because this is a guy who gets open to receive the ball and, as Frank notes, can dribble out of tight spaces with the verve to push the ball forward to the playmakers like Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus. It's clear that Frank knows what Spurs fans have been screaming for months; Gray needs to play.