Lionel Messi claim made after £40m Tottenham fee for Leeds United gem Archie Gray
David Prutton has pointed out that Archie Gray is “not Lionel Messi” when discussing his £40million move to Tottenham from Leeds United.
The big-money move was confirmed on Tuesday (2 July), which saw Gray leave his boyhood club for the Premier League, but some Leeds fans felt like they could have got more for the youngster.
Prutton, writing for the Yorkshire Evening Post (5 July), has rubbished claims that Leeds could have haggled better.
“The fee is around £40m and I don’t know what people could base a more expensive price tag on. Potential? That’s nonsense,” Prutton said.
“That’s brilliant in the years to come. But to put a price tag on potential can be a bit of a dangerous game, because if that potential is never realised then it means nothing.
“I think £40m for Archie is an amazing price for him. What else are you going to go get? £50m for a kid that has played one season in the Championship?
“He’s not Messi, he’s not Neymar, he’s not Mbappe and I say all that with the greatest respect. Those comparisons are not there to bring him down because Archie Gray is a very, very, very, very good footballer with a lot of promising potential. But beyond that, the price tag that they put on that potential is £40m and I think anything above that would be a little bit fanciful.”
Archie Gray could make Leeds United return one day
The blow of losing one of their most exciting academy products ever will still feel raw for Leeds fans.
Gray was not only one of their own but his family are Leeds heritage spanning back three generations.
His grandfather Frank won the First Division ( now the Premier League) title with Leeds in the 1973/74 season and his father Andy made 51 Premier League appearances for the club.
The fairytale of Gray continuing to follow in the footsteps of his parentage is over, but only for the time being.
There is confidence within the club that their academy product could one day return to Elland Road.
Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth believes he would love to make a Leeds return one day, via the Inside Elland Road podcast (3 July, 26:10).
At 18-years-old, Gray has his whole career ahead of him and now finds himself playing Premier League and Europa League football next season.
Whilst fantasising about a fairytale return for Gray eases the sting of his loss, Leeds need to secure their own future.
Daniel Farke was so close to securing a Premier League return last season and will be aiming to go one step further this campaign.
With or without Gray this has to be the priority for Farke and given the quality of the squad is a real possibility.
If all goes to plan Gray will return to Elland Road, when Leeds host Tottenham in the 2025/26 Premier League season.
In other Leeds United news, Archie Gray stance on Leeds United return shared already after summer Tottenham transfer.
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