Big money offer could force Leeds United to sell Archie Gray – Carlton Palmer
Carlton Palmer has said that he believes a big money offer from a Premier League club could force Leeds United to sell Archie Gray if the Whites themselves are promoted.
The Sun reported on Sunday (24 September) that Crystal Palace were monitoring the 17-year-old midfielder who has been impressive so far this season at Elland Road, having played a part in every single one of Daniel Farke’s side’s 10 matches in all competitions.
Having only broken into the first team at the beginning of the season and given his young age, Gray has received plenty of attention and is incredibly highly rated at Elland Road, but former Leeds midfielder Palmer is unsure whether the Whites would be able to reject a substantial bid in January.
Speaking to Football League World on Tuesday (26 September) he said: “I think Leeds will get promoted this season, I really believe that, I said it at the start of the season. If they do get promotion, and they do get a big money offer on the table, then it may force Leeds’ hand.
“It’s always important for a young player to be getting minutes, and he’s getting that and playing at Leeds United at such a tender age. He’s unlikely to move to a Premier League club and play every week, so it’d be best to stay where you are.
“The likelihood is, if he moved to a Premier League club in January, he would be loaned back to a Championship club anyway. So maybe, if Leeds do decide to sell, that might be a deal that they look to do.”
Stay where you are
As Palmer said, the best thing for Gray’s career is to be playing matches regularly and at 17 years old, there won’t be many clubs where the midfielder will be a regular starter, especially not in the Premier League given the financial spending power of all 20 clubs.
Although Gray was on the bench for the first time this season in Saturday’s [23 September] 3-0 win over Watford, that was by no means a reflection of his performances, instead it was more of an acknowledgement from Farke of his youth and an opportunity to rest and rotate.
With Glean Kamara and Ilia Gruev now in the ranks in Yorkshire, Gray may see his involvement reduced ever so slightly, but given the intense picture schedule in the Championship, the 17-year-old will still play far more games than he would with any Premier League club.
Should Leeds be promoted as well, that will allow the midfielder to make a much smoother transition into top-flight football, with a club that he knows inside and out, rather than having to leave his boyhood side and make the jump up a tier of the football pyramid all at once.
Leeds United shouldn’t want to lose one of their brightest prospects and it is unlikely they’d let any fee force their hand, given his contract at Elland Road runs until 2025 and the Whites are already keen to extend his stay [Phil Hay, 9 August].
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has revealed that it was Farke who told the Whites to sign Sam Byram this summer