Leeds United: Archie Gray transfer prediction made as teenage gem set for exit choice
Archie Gray would never have entertained leaving Leeds United for Nice as he will have “many suitors” interested in him this summer, Paul Robinson has said.
The teenage sensation has been a mainstay of a Leeds side battling for promotion from the Championship this season, excelling at right-back and central midfield.
It was reported by the Telegraph (28 February) that the 17-year-old was being targeted by Ligue 1 outfit Nice but they wouldn’t afford to make a move happen.
Ex-Leeds ace Robinson – speaking exclusively to MOT Leeds News – thinks Gray is happy where he is but acknowledges there will be plenty of interest, with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle United said to be circling (HITC), and cannot see a move to somewhere like Nice transpiring.
“No absolutely not, I don’t think they’ll be in the equation. You don’t know the player’s personal ambitions, you don’t know where the player wants to end up,” Robinson said.
“But he’s going to have many, many suitors around Europe and the Premier League. He’s going to have the pick of where he wants to go and continue his development if Leeds decide to let him go.
“I strongly believe if Leeds are in the Premier League it will be a case of him staying there and developing at a club where he’s come through the academy.
“But you don’t know, you’re not privy to what the player or his family or people around him want to do with him.
“It would appear he’s very comfortable at Leeds, very settled at Leeds. But in terms of the French league and a side like Nice, I personally wouldn’t see that in the next step of his development.”
Will Leeds United sell Archie Gray this summer?
It’s a million-dollar question right now. Or, more truthfully, it’s a multi-million question for Leeds and their teenage starlet Gray.
There is a huge affinity between the youngster and the club, of course, so much so that even if Leeds missed out on promotion he might feel better served staying at Elland Road.
The difficulty is, that a player with his talent, excelling in two positions like he has is going to draw admiring glances from elsewhere, there’s just no getting away from it.
So, while a move to Nice feels hugely unlikely, a permanent exit cannot be ruled out. Let’s just hope promotion occurs and it becomes a moot point.
In other Leeds United news, Don Goodman has dropped his verdict on another potential Elland Road departure.
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