Big-money Archie Gray transfer exit from Leeds United inevitable as Liverpool and Tottenham want signing – Sky Sports pundit
We’re delighted to welcome former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson as our exclusive columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Leeds United …
Archie Gray will be be playing for a Champions League club sooner or later and it is a matter of when not if he leaves Leeds United, says Paul Robinson.
The 17-year-old Elland Road sensation has already attracted the interest of Liverpool as well as the likes of Everton and Crystal Palace, with the Daily Mail reporting on 10 November that a £40million bid from Anfield was being lined up in the summer, while the same outlet reported on 8 January that Tottenham have also joined the race.
Robinson is confident that Gray’s family ties to Leeds United will ensure that, for now, the focus remains on the midfielder’s own development.
But he is under no illusions that he is destined for a big-money move at some point, and the can Whites only hope to hold onto him for as long as possible while his transfer value continues to increase.
Gray has taken to the first team seamlessly under Daniel Farke, making 30 appearances already between midfield and right-back, and the club announced he had signed a new long-term deal on 16 January which will certainly have strengthened their negotiating position when he does go.
Speaking exclusively to MOT Leeds News Robinson said: “For him, for his family, for Leeds, it’s about his development and how he grows as a person and a player.
“I’ve got no doubt with the network around him that he’s only going to get better.
“The decision to make is whether Leeds are in the Premier League or in the Championship, whether his personal ambition is to stay at Leeds for a while, or to go onto bigger and better things at an early stage of his career.
“Whenever it happens and whenever the time comes he will play for a Champions League club. He will be playing at the top of Premier League it’s just when that happens.
“From a Leeds United point of view they’ll want to keep him for as long as they possibly can because he’s come through their own academy. The family carries such a weight at Leeds United, it’s such an historic family running through the club.
“And to have a player of his quality at the club is a huge asset. His value is only going to go up the more he plays and the better he gets.
“So from Leeds’ point of view it’s not a case of having to sell him, it’s a case of the player will develop and grow and while he’s there that will increase his value.“
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has shares a “definite problem” in the transfer market as the Whites try to sign a Liverpool player again.
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