Archie Gray

[WTF11]

Not the first, or probably last, media report regarding this most excellent young player, but surely the club can, and should, make it clear to all comers that he isn't for sale, under ANY circumstances?

https://www.footballfancast.com/leed...t-archie-gray/

If they don't, what message does it send about any other player, like Summerville, Rutter, etc etc?

[Monaco_Totty]

Coincidently sat at work among colleagues from different countries tonight who have taken the opportunity to work abroad.

Young players have realised they can accelerate their careers much quicker in the first team of a club in one of Europe's major leagues than they could on the fringes at a big club in England on big bucks wages, for starters.

Taking the fan-sentiment out of your wish to keep Archie, if he was playing in the Germany top league he could be playing every week, integral to his team & ready to come back in a couple of years as an established first-team player to a club of his choice, no doubt.

I'm sure he'll take on all advice given for such an "alleged" big step up - but if you were the Dad of a son in such circumstance you may advise differently as some British kids of late have done well with Rodon & DJ Spence being prime examples of having a Euro league experience & better for it as players & persons, imo.

If he stays, like others you've mentioned, then how long for is the dilemma ultimately ?

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

He will be very well advised with his granddad, great uncle and dad all being footballers and with strong links to Leeds.

His dad is part of the agency with Richard Cresswell and Hayden Evans and they seem to be super sensible in the way they advise their players. I am sure the cautionary tale of KP is being considered too.

He is getting lots of first team action, loves the club and the fans love him. He is playing for England above his age level so not sure there is a need for him to leave.

There may be sentiment in our favour in that he may want to try to play with his younger brothers too.

Seem to have a lot of kids of former players coming through - Charlie Cresswell has a younger bother who is the spitting image and also plays CB and plays for the u21 and u18.

Certain sections of the media are always going to generate nonsense column inches but why would he leave in January?

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

I see the season’s cheer hasn’t damped the edge of our most positive poster to see dark clouds in every corner - first the nonsense about the stadium, now this and with the recent draws suddenly the sky is falling in - seriously.

[Sniffer999]

EVERY player has a price

[WTF11]

Coincidently sat at work among colleagues from different countries tonight who have taken the opportunity to work abroad.

Young players have realised they can accelerate their careers much quicker in the first team of a club in one of Europe's major leagues than they could on the fringes at a big club in England on big bucks wages, for starters.

Taking the fan-sentiment out of your wish to keep Archie, if he was playing in the Germany top league he could be playing every week, integral to his team & ready to come back in a couple of years as an established first-team player to a club of his choice, no doubt.

I'm sure he'll take on all advice given for such an "alleged" big step up - but if you were the Dad of a son in such circumstance you may advise differently as some British kids of late have done well with Rodon & DJ Spence being prime examples of having a Euro league experience & better for it as players & persons, imo.

If he stays, like others you've mentioned, then how long for is the dilemma ultimately ?

You mistake my enthusiasm for keeping Gray as "sentiment", when it's nothing of the sort. Cold hard logic is what drives my post, the fact that we have in this particular player an example of;

1. What the Academy can do, building on the success of others, such as Phillips, in becoming world-class players whilst remaining at Leeds and following the Academy "promotion" route

2. The adage that "if they are good enough, they are old enough", with Gray featuring in just about every game this season (your comment "if he was playing in the Germany top league he could be playing every week" ignores the fact that that is precisely what he IS doing, albeit in the second tier of English football (which I'd suggest is on a par with the majority of bundesliga teams)), whether as starter or sub and at the same time playing in a successful international campaign for his country

3. The versatility in the team that has been lacking since Dallas was injured, with an ability to play just about anywhere, whilst acknowledging that he favours the right side of the pitch

Nothing sentimental about any of those factors. Would I like him to stay? You betcha, but as well as the factors I mention, the clubs stance on his future with LUFC will inevitably send messages to those other players I mention, and I would suggest that the club risks a domino effect if they are other than dismissive of other clubs sniffing around. We may have generated a large amount of money when we sold Phillips and Raphina, and just what good did it do us?

If I was his dad, I 'd be suggesting that he's his own man, despite his youth, and as such to decide for himself what he should do, but I'm not his dad, just a lowly supporter who would like to see the club showing to others (as has happened in other instances, unfortunately rarely at Leeds) that there are certain lines which won't be crossed.

(BTW, I'm not sure I would class Rodon or Spence or others who have wandered around Europe for a while, any higher than Gray, who hasn't had to "benefit" from being a Euro journeyman).

Anyway, my point is that the club has a part to play, and a public stance would show which way the wind is blowing, not only for Gray but several others who, IMHO, we should keep (to answer your query as to "how long"?), at least until we are promoted (and in most cases, his certainly, beyond.

[WTF11]

EVERY player has a price

Agreed, and not ignoring the realities of professional football, just seeing that keeping Gray and a number of others is a key to ensuring we remain competitive, as opposed to sliding into the "feeder club" category, as in the case of Norwich, Baggies, Boro etc.

[spaldy]

The current owners are not losers in almost every thing they do. They aren't used to it and Archie is one of their big assets. Impersonal but true.

with that being said... if they offer 60 million they might sell. However, Archie may say no. KP is a pretty fresh memory and he plays here more than anyone else he'd go.

KP does look good sitting on the bench in his pretty warm up suit.

[CalverleyBoy]

The current owners are not losers in almost every thing they do. They aren't used to it and Archie is one of their big assets. Impersonal but true.

with that being said... if they offer 60 million they might sell. However, Archie may say no. KP is a pretty fresh memory and he plays here more than anyone else he'd go.

KP does look good sitting on the bench in his pretty warm up suit.

ANd that is probably where your Archie will end up, waiting patiently for someone to be injured or running close to a second yellow card' hopefully not but it's a short lifespan as a footballer so ne needs to load his bank balance!

[Monaco_Totty]

Nice read on Archie Gray:
‘My childhood dream was to win the Champions League with Leeds’
Hope the Boardroom read it !
https://www.theguardian.com/football...irations%20now.