A team from the Champions League might pay a visit in January.
Anytime a Leeds United player is connected to a major league team, the summer of 2022 is sure to come flooding back. Following Leeds‘ dramatic escape, Barcelona moved quickly to sign their idol Raphinha, and Manchester City made an acquisition of Kalvin Phillips.
Without the two stars, Leeds fell back to the Championship the next season. Although they are a good chance to make the playoffs, sitting nine points ahead of seventh place in the Championship standings, Leeds won’t want a high-profile mid-season departure to ruin their season. However, a prominent US broadcaster has reported that a Champions League team might be on the verge of making an approach.
Archie Gray’s incredible breakthrough in Leeds
Archie Gray began playing for Leeds in 2014, when he was just eight years old. He rose through the ranks and, earlier this year, was awarded his first professional contract, which will keep him with the team until the summer of 2025 (Leeds official website).
Despite just being 17 years old, he has already made a name for himself for Daniel Farke‘s team this season, starting 19 of the 22 Championship games and participating in all but one. Although his primary position is central midfield, he has also played right back and in the middle of the park (Transfermarkt).
Archie Gray is being pursued by Borussia Dortmund.
According to ESPN, Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga is “seriously considering” a move for Gray. He’s one of three teenagers on their radar, along with Senny Mayulu of PSG and Jorrel Hato of Ajax.
Dortmund presently sits fifth in Germany’s top division, which has just begun its Christmas break, with a six-point gap to the top four to close in the new year. They’ve done better in Europe, finishing first in a group that contained PSG, AC Milan, and Newcastle to set up a round of 16 match against PSV in February.
Losing Gray would be a huge setback for Leeds and their new owners, 49ers Enterprises, because he is one of the players they would undoubtedly look to build a long-term future around. Gray has looked “absolutely unbelievable” in his breakthrough season, according to EFL expert Ali Maxwell (Not The Top 20 Pod), while veteran Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford thinks “you forget about his age” while watching him play (Leeds Live).
Gray has already won his manager’s total faith, placing third among outfielders on the team in minutes played (1,728) and topping all adolescents in the second tier in that measure. Despite his youth, he’s not hesitant to get involved – he leads the Leeds table in tackles (45) and is in the top 10 in dribblers tackled (27). Furthermore, his 20 blocked passes (2nd for Leeds) demonstrate how well he’s already reading the game (FBRef).
Young players may be hesitant to make a large move at this stage of their careers due to concerns about playing time, but Dortmund have already showed him that there is a clear first-team pathway. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, a 19-year-old winger, has made seven Bundesliga starts this season, while Youssoufa Moukoko, a striker, has played 13 games until being injured earlier this month.
The most apparent comparison for Gray is, of course, Jude Bellingham, who left the Championship as a teenager to join Dortmund and ended up at Real Madrid three years later. Dortmund will undoubtedly benefit greatly from his story.
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