Archie Gray transfer verdict drops at Leeds United after new loan developments
Leeds United look likely to miss out on a possible January loan deal with Tottenham for Archie Gray, Carlton Palmer has said.
Speaking to Football League World (4 November), Palmer said that if Spurs do sanction a loan move for Gray in January, it’s likely he will move to a Premier League club.
Gray departed Elland Road for £40million in the summer transfer window but has since struggled for minutes in North London, making just five Premier League substitute appearances so far.
Palmer said: “If they do let him go, Leeds may have just missed out on his return with Premier League clubs interested.
“It would be a great bit of business if they could pull it off, but there will be lots of competition.
“I don’t think he’d want to go to the likes of Southampton, who are struggling – maybe Leicester, who are just outside the drop.
“I think it would be a great fit for him to return to Leeds. He’s only 18, very versatile, and he could play a major part from Christmas till the end of the season.”
Archie Gray return is dream scenario for Leeds United
Although it remains a long shot, Gray pitching back up at Thorp Arch barely six months after his departure would be the best of a bad situation for Daniel Farke’s side.
The consensus shared by Angus Kinnear suggested that had the club achieved promotion last season, Gray would still be a Whites player and continuing his family dynasty at Elland Road.
Failure to do so in the play-off final effectively sealed the fates of Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter though, with the latter duo seeing relegation-related release clauses triggered.
However, while Gray’s return to LS11 would be a preferable one for the romantics, dropping back down to the Championship could represent a back-to-square-one scenario, particularly in Tottenham’s eyes.
Spurs didn’t shell out £40m on a Championship starlet for him to end up back there half a season later, and to ever stand a chance of bringing Gray home, Leeds need to be a Premier League club.
In other Leeds news, one United youngster has finally kick-started his loan spell as footage emerged of what he did this week.
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