Leeds: Journalist drops claim on “unbelievable” Whites hero
Will he be leaving Elland Road in the near future?
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Will he be leaving Elland Road in the near future?
Leeds United lost several senior players over the summer during an interesting squad rebuild, and now a fresh claim has emerged regarding the future of one young star at Elland Road.
The Whites suffered the misery of being relegated from the Premier League last season, returning to the Championship for the first time since the 2019/20 season. They went into the new campaign as one of the favourites to earn promotion, even after Daniel Farke’s squad was somewhat gutted, and they have made a solid start to the season despite Saturday’s result.
Those who left in the summer were replaced with some particularly exciting signings, with Ethan Ampadu in the middle of the park and Joel Piroe leading the line perhaps the standouts of the bunch.
For the Whites to make a quickfire return to the Premier League, these individuals will need to perform, with Farke also making sure the gets the best out of his squad and rotates effectively, keeping players fresh in the process.
There is always the risk that more stars could move away from Elland Road, however, especially if they don’t look like going up come January, and an interesting comment has emerged reading one Leeds ace.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Dean Jones reacted to Archie Gray’s links with Crystal Palace, hinting that it could be a mistake to leave his boyhood club so early:
“Yeah, I mean, he is exactly on profile with the sort of recruitment Palace are putting in place at the moment. And it’s no surprise that they are continuing to scout him. But he is very young, he needs to be careful he doesn’t make a move that does not end up benefiting his career right now.
“Patience is probably needed for him at Leeds as he won’t be starting every week. But with the way things are going, being in a positive environment and in a team that looks like doing very well in the Championship, he could benefit from becoming a big part of this rather than a small part of a project somewhere else.”
Gray may still only be 17 years of age, but he has outlined what a great talent he is already this season, starting seven times in the Championship. In that time, the midfielder has averaged one tackle per game and completed 81% of his passes, as well as 93.3% across two EFL Cup appearances, highlighting his ability on the ball.
The teenager is contracted to the club until the summer of 2025, but he is such a big prospect that Leeds should look to extend his stay beyond that date, retaining his services for as long as possible. That being said, his head could potentially be turned by a move elsewhere, especially if he is promised regular time, so there is the threat that he could depart before his time at Elland Road even properly gets started.
Former Whites striker Jermaine Beckford has hailed Gray as “phenomenal” and Farke has called him “unbelievable”, and he should only grow as a player as the years go on, so losing him would be a real blow.