Stan Collymore believes it will not be long before Archie Gray is a regular in the England set-up, now that the midfielder has made the step up to Tottenham Hotspur.
Rarely ever do you see players being bought for £40m from the Championship and that kind of fee is unprecedented for an 18-year-old, who has only had one full season in English football’s second tier.
However, despite the fee that Spurs have shelled out, the general consensus among experts and those who have followed the teenager closely is that this is a real coup for the Lilywhites.
Such is the reputation that Gray has in the English game, with England boss Gareth Southgate even recently admitting that he is keeping an eye on the youngster’s development (Mirror).
Collymore has now become the latest pundit to praise Tottenham for the signing of the Leeds academy graduate, with the pundit insisting that the newest Spurs addition will play for the Three Lions before long.
The former Liverpool man wrote in his column for CaughtOffside: “Archie Gray is already nearing a half-century of performances at just 18, so he will know what he’s about as a player. He’s a big lad as well, six foot two, and he’s only going to get bigger, stronger and more versatile in the next two or three years.
“He can play as a centre-mid or as a right-back and he’s got pedigree after turning out for England in the U15, U16, U17, U19, U20 and U21 age groups. I think he will go on potentially and play for England, though he’s eligible for Scotland as well.
“I imagine that whoever the next England manager is, he will be watching over the next season or two at Spurs, but they may well call him up for the England senior squad sooner rather than later.
“Personally, I think it’s a great move. I’m a massive fan of Tottenham, the way that their Academy has done things etc… The facilities are arguably the best in the world at Spurs Lodge, they don’t necessarily just promote ex-players as coaches in the academy and they’ve got Ange Postecoglou, who’s a very minded open manager.
“Archie Gray and his family are all Celtic fans and love Ange, so I’m really excited. I think it’s the right player, the right move, the right club at the right time and I think that he will get opportunities to play. The world’s his oyster.”
Spurs Web Opinion
While Gray is obviously an exciting signing and evidently has a high ceiling, Spurs fans must be wary of expecting too much from the youngster too early.
He is still very young and inexperienced and could have a steep learning curve in his first 12 months at Hotspur Way.
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