Archie Gray is still far away from achieving his true potential at Tottenham, but his one season at Leeds United proved he can reach the top.
Gray is missed around Leeds, and his first season at the age of 18 showed how good he is at that level.
A Premier League move was always going to be destined for the youngster with the Whites missing out on promotion, and now fans will look forward to seeing him next season.
Spurs fans want Gray back at Leeds in a move which would be warmly welcomed by the Whites faithful.
If he goes on to become one of the greats, he will always have Leeds to thank, but something else transformed him.
Patrick Bamford on what turned Gray into ‘monster’ at Leeds United
A £40m fee came with his departure, as Daniel Farke and the 49ers were never going to let an extraordinary Thorp Arch prospect leave on the cheap.
The overall fee raised question marks as Martin Keown couldn’t believe Gray’s transfer, but the 19-year-old has played a major role in Tottenham’s season.
His role even helped Tottenham win the Europa League, as Gray compared it to the playoff final defeat in terms of bouncing back.
Tottenham fans can see Gray as captain, and it’s clear why, with early leadership traits shown in Yorkshire.
But speaking to the Fozcast, Patrick Bamford pinpointed the moment he started his pathway to glory.
“He actually came up under Marcelo (Bielsa), think he was like 14?,” Bamford said.
“He was a kid, but he flew into tackles, he didn’t care. It was pure football, and then he came up a bit more under Jesse Marsch.
“He had quite a bad injury from a tackle by John McGinn in pre-season, but looking back, it was the best thing that happened to him.
“He had a proper shape up, and now he can be a monster.”
READ MORE: Patrick Bamford reveals what an ‘angry’ Illan Meslier did after he was dropped for Leeds United
Leeds handed blow in signing Gray on loan
As mentioned previously, Spurs fans could see Gray return to Leeds on loan in search of some game time, but Spurs’ Europa League triumph might have made that outcome unlikely.
Gray’s game time has been stark since players came back from their respective injuries in the Spurs squad, as the youngster took on a role of playing week in, week out.
Because of this, Ange Postecoglou has raved about Gray, as it’s certainly not normal for the youngster to take on such an important role throughout the season.
He would obviously have this role if he returned to Leeds on loan, but now with Spurs in the Champions League, the 19-year-old might prefer to stay with a chance of European football.
This will frustrate Whites fans, especially as Tottenham are 17th and fans want Gray to return.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 16 |  Man UtdManchester United | 37 | 10 | 9 | 18 | 42 | 54 | -12 | 39 |
| 17 |  TottenhamTottenham | 37 | 11 | 5 | 21 | 63 | 61 | 2 | 38 |
What remains obvious though, is that Gray has a very bright future, and you could say it’s all thanks to McGinn.
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